HARRY POTTER : THE POWER ANDS THE GLORY
by Davinius Gerard Fogg
Summary: Summer 1995 onwards through books 5 & 6. Magically, super powerful Harry. He gets in very serious bother with the Ministry, Character deaths, devious, manipulating Dumbledore. McGonnagle becomes his mentor and magical guardian, Hermione is ever loyal, Ron & the DA have Harry's back. Sirius lives. OC Healer gets close to Harry. Two battles, (NOT Hogwarts). HP/HG & HP/OC. RW/LB.
1. Prologue

· Harry Potter: The Power and the Glory

· Summer 1995

Set in the Summer between Harry's 4th and 5th years, the time period being after the Tri-Wizard cup, the first three chapters of JKR's 5th book, The Order of the Phoenix . If you recall, that's the arrival of the Dementor's in Little Whinging, the attack by them on Harry and cousin Dudley. Harry rescues Dudders from their curse, he has received two letters from the Ministry of Magic; one for the offence of underage magic in the presence of a Muggle and the other a Suspension/Expulsion from Hogwarts pending a hearing of the Wizengamot.

So, for my prologue I abbreviate but quote directly from page 38 to 40 of O of the Phoenix with my version of events. Then my story begins.

Now, jump to the films. Due to a delay in the making of 5th film, it is very noticeable that the young actors had very much grown a lot! So, I am taking advantage of this in Harry's case only by building that surge in growth into my story, but not immediately.

Hope those who read it enjoy my thinking!

PROLOGUE

'But what were Dementoids doing in Little Whinging?' Said Uncle Vernon in an outraged tone.

'I don't know why they were here'. Replied Harry.

'IT's YOU BOY. SOMETHING TO DO WITH YOU!' Vernon Dudley screamed. 'Sent from that infernal weirdo prison. They're after you. Your a criminal on the run, that's what it is!'

'Know I'm not. HE must have sent them, or one of his followers acting for him."

Vernon gave him a puzzled look, then asked

'HE! Who is HE?'

'Lord Voldemort'.

'Lord Vol...hang on. I've heard that name. Isn't he the one who ...'

'Murdered my parents. Yes'

This time, an audible gasp of fright and shock came from another Dursley, Petunia.

'Huh! ... but he's dead! 14yrs ago.

'Not anymore.' Replied Harry. 'He's back. A month ago. I saw him as close to me as you are now. He's back!'

Vernon cut back in, blustering, 'And you reckon he is the one sending these...these... Dismember thingies after you.'

'Looks like it.' Answered Harry.

Vernon seemed to be swelling, his great purple face stretching before Harry's eyes.

'Well, that settles it then. You can get out of this house, boy!'

'What?' said a startled Harry.

'You heard me..OUT!' Uncle Vernon bellowed. 'OUT! OUT! OUT! TODAY.. .NOW! I WANT YOU OUT!'

'But...uncle Vernon...the letters...they state I have to not leave the house. I can't leave. I'm in enough trouble already...

'YOU HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TROUBLE. ALL THESE YEARS! YOU AND ...AND...YOUR KIND. ALL WEIRDO'S AND FREAKS. We should never have took you in. Bloody orphanage for you, that's where you should have been. Well no longer. I should have done this years ago. You heard me. GET OUT. AND TAKE YOUR BLOODY BIRD WITH YOU. Bloody owls. I have had enough of BLOODY OWLS'.

Harry's own temper was rising now, enough of being screamed at and now insulting Hedwig.

'Don't blame Hedwig. It's not her fault, you fat slob. If you had treated me better you would have had more respect from me, but you have been a fucking shit. All three of you, as a matter of fact. SO LEAVE MY OWL OUT OF IT!'

A large, heavy, clenched fist hit Harry hard on the jaw, knocking him against the worktop, followed by a another heavy punch to his ribs bending him over, then a kick to the knee collapsing him, dropping him to the floor. A kick, then another, took him in the back and ribs in turn.

As a fourth kick was coming his way, suddenly a screeching.'krek-krek' of an attacking raptor was heard across the kitchen as Hedwig came flying through the open kitchen window to her master's defence. A two foot tall owl packs a hefty hit with sharp, finger length claws to back it up. She hit Vernon Dursley full tilt in the face, those claws ripping into his nose, lips and eyes. Her continued screeching was accompanied by howls of pain from Vernon and screams of shock from Petunia Dursley. Dudley was still sitting in his Dementor induced dazed state on a kitchen chair, oblivious to the actions around him. Petunia picked up a frying pan from the shelf, swung it and hit Hedwig hard, knocking the bird back across the island worktop towards the door to the hallway.

Blood streaming down his face, vision obscured from the damage inflicted to one eye and blood covering the other, a roar came from Vernon.

'FUCKING BIRD. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU FOR THAT!'

Harry felt more than heard or saw the assault on Hedwig, but definitely heard the expletive and threat from Vernon. Although hurt and dazed, his instinct to protect his feathered minder and ally and his still own adrenalin fuelled temper from earlier stirred Harry's power. Wandless magic poured from him as he raised his right hand at Vernon Dursley. He was hit full tilt with combined blocking and muggle repelling spells from Harry. He was lifted off his feet, thrown across the kitchen taking out the table and three chairs, slumping against the kitchen door.

'VERNON!' screamed Petunia, and then turned on Harry with the same frying pan. 'YOU FUCKING UNGRATEFUL SHIT. JUST LIKE YOUR HORRIBLE BLOODY FREAK OF A MOTHER!' And hit Harry hard across the face, his nose breaking and dropping him once more to the floor. Barely conscious, he felt the pan hit him again on the knee, the sensation of something snapping and more pain from that region getting through to his dulled senses. As he lay there, he heard a kitchen drawer being opened and the rattle of cutlery. Through pain glazed eyes he saw his aunt pull a large bread knife from the drawer.

'I'll get you proper this time, you freak!' and she raised the knife above him, driving it down into his left shoulder. Harry screamed in agony, reacting instinctively. A hand twitched and pushed against Petunia.

'BOMBARDIA!' Thought Harry.

The little bigoted world that was number 4 Privet Drive, Little Winging exploded, along with Petunia Dursley, into countless, bloody minced pieces. Her husband Vernon, although not in countless pieces, was blown outwards into the rear garden, losing an arm and his head, the assorted bits of him buried amongst the debris. Strangely, Dudley Dursley was left untouched and uninjured, still sitting on the same kitchen chair and still totally oblivious to what was going on around him. Harry Potter had no injuries from the explosion, but those inflicted by the Dursleys's were extremely serious, particularly the stab wound. Realising his situation, both medically and magically, he uttered two small words:

'Dobby. Help!'


	2. Chapter 1 : Dobby to the Rescue

CHAPTER 1. Dobby to the Rescue

POP!

"The great Harr...huuuuhhh!"

Even house elves gasp in surprise and shock when confronted with totally unexpected situations. Dobby, the free house elf, was no exception. The scene of destruction and bloody carnage that was 4 Privet Drive, with his beloved 'great Harry Potter' lying badly injured amidst it all, made his already big eyes bug out in shock and his large ears to quiver in nervousness. And the fact that Hedwig with an injured wing and a foul mood was standing guard over Harry ready to attack anything else that tried to hurt him didn't help the situation.

"Master, the great Harry Potter sir, you..you be's hurt. What's happened?" and he went over to his hero. Loud screeching and fluttering of her one good wing and a nasty, sharp pecking beak kept Dobby back however.

"Hedwig. Thank you. But hold back now. ...Dobby.. you know Dobby. He's a friend, here to help us..." Then turning to the little elf, Harry said "Dobby, . ..badly hurt...really weak. Hedwig as well. You...you have to get us out of here, now. Before anyone arrives. Somewhere safe, Dobby...I can't be found."

Dobby's shock turned to excitement and pure adoration.

"Harry Potter called Dobby 'friend'. Me, a house elf, called a 'friend' by the great wizard Harry Potter. You be's honouring Dobby, master."

Harry's strength and consciousness was waning fast.

"Now Dobby. You need to get us out of here..."

The sound of the Emergency Services fast approaching sirens to the scene of the explosion meant that leaving the scene had to be soon. Likewise, the arrival of two Ministry owls to what was left of 4 Privet Drive also hastened the need for a quick departure. One owl circled an area of the rubble and dropped a letter, which turned out to a howler, on what Harry could only assume was the biggest bit of his aunt that remained, one hand, then left the scene. The other owl came directly to Harry and went to land on him, but seeing the large, white, very stroppy, snowy owl guarding her intended target, the Ministry owl decided that a drop from height may be safer, so it too circled around before dropping it's letter close to Harry, close enough for him to reach, then, it too, left in a hurry. The Howler started it's message. A male voice, familiar and unfamiliar all at the same time, said,

'Petunia Dursley, Remember my last and your promise.' Then with a small 'whoosh' it burnt into ash and disintegrated into the rest of the mess.

'What the wands was that about?' thought Harry.

The distinctive 'Crack'...'Crack'crack .. of multiple apparating wizards arriving outside the boundary of the now partially demolished Dursley home could be clearly heard. Harry grabbed the letter, then said,

"..NOW, DOBBY! ...We have to leave now!"

And grabbing Harry Potter with Hedwig sitting on his good leg, Dobby said:

"Dobby lives to serve the great Harry Potter, sir." And with a click of the fingers and a 'pop', they were gone.

-HJP-


	3. Chapter 2 : The Scene Investigation

CHAPTER 2: The Scene Investigation

'Crack...Crack'crack'!

The three wizards arriving in Privet Drive got there seconds after the Muggle emergency services pulled up; four Surrey Constabulary police officers, two fire appliances with ten crew and four paramedics from two ambulances greeted their arrival, as well as an emergency services helicopter hovering overhead. The fact that a crowd of some 40 plus onlookers and neighbours had gathered to gawke at the scene also didn't help the magical side of the investigation and clean-up.

"Merlin's beard! What the fuck has happened here!" came the shocked and mystified question from Master Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, as he looked at the demolition site in front of him. "Spiker, you bloody idiot, you have brought us to the wrong location. This is a Muggle scene."

The aforementioned Spiker, the Ministry representative, huffed at the insult and remonstrated,

"I assure you, Auror Skacklebolt, this is the correct location. But...there should be a lot more of it. This is...extraordinary! This is supposed to be a three bedroom Muggle house but it is gone!"

"There was a Muggle house here? There is only three walls left standing and half a first floor. It looks like a demolition site. Who by Merlin's blue pants lived here that has attracted the attention of the Ministry? And where is he ... or is it a witch? What's this about?"

"Oh, it is supposed to be a young wizard. I was instructed to apparate here, meet up with two Aurors, then we were to arrest the young wizard for using magic out in the street in front of a Muggle. We were to take his wand and take him back to the Ministry. I was also instructed to tell you to put him in the basement Court holding cells when we took him back...and not to write it up."

Shacklebolt was astounded. "The basement cells and no write up! For a bit of underage magic? Who the fuck is he? Voldemort's fucking son or something?"

Spiker jumped in trepidation at the mention of the unmentionable name. " I ... I don't know. These were my instructions."

Detective Auror Tonks looked away from the scene and at her squad senior and said,

"Boss. There is someone in there, in amongst the rubble. The muggle emergency lot are already in there trying to get to him."

"Shit! That's all we fucking need... Good job we dressed for a Muggle area. Tonks, you got that Muggle police ID card with you? The Detective one.?

"Yeah. Got it in me pocket boss. Want me to go chat up that young Copper, the one reeling out the scene tape around the place? See what I can find out?"

"You do that. Me and Mr. Spiker here will have a natter with the fire crew lot. Apart from the four getting the survivor out, looks like there is nothing for them to do here. Whatever caused this blow-up obviously wasn't gas or fire related."

"Will do boss. Won't take long. See you in ten, back here." And off Tonks went to chat up whoever would give her the info she needed.

Shacklebolt nodded to Spiker. "Right, let's go. The fire crews then the paramedics. Hmm, better try and cast a couple of magic trace spells at some point as well to actually sus out if this is actually a magical crime scene or not. Not looking like it at first hand but...hmmm."

Fifteen minutes later, across the road and 100yds from the scene, the three wizards were in conference discussing what they had found out.

"Boss, I managed to speak to the young copper and then his sergeant appeared wondering who the hell I was. Let him know I was south-east Regional Crime Squad and was just passing by, wondered if they needed any help. You know, crime scene stuff, witnesses etc. 'Thanks for the offer, miss,' he said, 'but local suits will handle it. Bit suspicious in places, this one, but definitely an internal explosion within the house. All the debris has gone outwards.' He said, then he added, 'One casualty as far as we can tell. Found the remains of a grossly fat older bloke in the debris. Head and arm off. By the looks of what's left of him, the explosion done for him.' That's about it at the moment, boss. Oh, no it's not. Forgot this bit. One survivor, a Muggle , apparently who they reckon is the son of the dead guy. Severe shock, though, and he hasn't said anything. Now that's it."

Shacklebolt and Spiker looked from Auror Tonks to each other, then the senior Auror continued the discussion.

"OK. Thanks Tonks. But this is a real bloody mess in more ways than one and I don't just mean old headless fat guy in there. I managed to find a place to cast the trace spell. The result? This address reeks of magic, gallions of it by the dragon load. Underage wizard location spells, protection charms, I even got a hit on a fidelius charm for Merlin's sake. But, big problem. The spells that were on this place have been blown asunder by some really powerful recent magic, and by recent I mean in the last half-hour. By my reckoning, a 'bombardia' spell was used here that was off the scale, fucking huge. That's what has blown this place apart along with the headless bloke. Killed outright. If I'm right, a really powerful wiza..."

At that moment, a bit of a commotion could be heard from the scene with excitement and the buzz of conversation rising in intensity.

"Aurors, I think something else may have been discovered. Shall we go find out what?" asked Spiker.

"Yeah, let's," added Shacklebolt.

A short walk brought them to the edge of the cordon. The consternation seemed to be centred around a dog handler and his dog and something that it had brought out from the search. Shacklebolt cast a wandless spell to enable all three wizards to listen in.

'Conversationem augmenta!"

The babble instantly became crystal clear and a man's voice was heard to say:

" ... definitely from an adult female or a teenager. It's not a man's hand at all. Too small. But what about the knife it was holding? Was this person, possibly the Dursley woman, cooking or cutting meat or something? The knife was bloody to the handle".

A different older sounding voice replied:

"Probably the person's own blood. I mean, there is no other bit of body that we can see that can be matched to this hand. So where is the rest of this body?

"Shit! You don't think that...no, surely not. My dog.." (the Wizards correcting identifying that the police handler was talking.)...it was licking at some of the rubble in there. I saw something, bits of blood and gore but I just assumed they were from the dead bloke. I mean, he was in bits. But could those tiny bits be from his wife...or someone else?"

"Hmm. Sarge, what do you think.? More specialist units needed?"

"Yes. Definitely. Call up the CID. We need a D.I. ((Detective Inspector)) here to have a look and authorise forensic searches and specialist search dogs for body remains. We need to preserve everything, so get that hand in something cold urgent. Leave the knife in the hand. You never know, this might be something much more than a straightforward gas explosion. Cover for something much more sinister. And get that bloody cordon extended. Take it further out to at least 100 metres for now and shift all these bloody onlookers. Fucking sightseers at a bloody crime scene. Pain in the arse, they are!"

BACK AT AUROR HQ, ONE HOUR LATER

"Merlin's Pants!" Exclaimed Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Aurors. "Some serious dragon dung has gone down at this address and we know sod all about any of it. Just who was there? Fidelius charms, trace charms, magical and muggle disallusionment charms; you name it and this place had it. And none of it registered anywhere! Even the secret kniffler lot downstairs assured me they know nothing of this address and old Montmorency even took an oath to assure me he was telling the truth! SHIT! ... And where is Tonks? Why is she not back here with you, Shackles?"

"Ma'am, she came back initially to make sure we had all our individual bits of info written down and it was correct, but I sent her back to do what she does best...by however means possible. I've also given her the nod to eh...direct...the Muggle enquiry towards a gas leak as the cause of the 'accident'. This, as you have already said, is something a good ways outside the normal, way out. I haven't a clue what's gone on there apart from an explosion caused by powerful magic that has killed two people. "

Madam Bones shook her head and grunted.

"Killed! That's the understatement of the bloody year, that is. One body decapitated and arm off with other body blast injuries and the second death...fuck...if it wasn't for a bloody police dog walking out with a hand in its mouth no one would have realised there was a second death. A muggle reduced to minced meat; not even the head still exists, just one hand! Merlin, who and what caused this?"

-_HJP_


	4. Chapter 3: AI Tonks

CHAPTER 3: Dora Tonks A.I. (Auror Investigator)

At the Scene.

'They'll do,' thought A. I. Tonks. 'A couple of gossipy old neighbours from the next street being nosey and moaning about the dust from the explosion blowing their way covering their clean washing. Perfect.' A quick flick of her wand at them both, a silent charm,

'Memento cogitationes',

and suddenly the two old gossips were talking about the strong smell of gas earlier that afternoon that was drifting their way on the wind.

'Right. Gassy smell lingering around'. Another wand flick, a bit more expansive over and around the crime scene;

'Moratus quidem odor gas!'

A small smile crossed the young Auror's face, then a further thought.

'Ok, Tonks. Act it up for the local rozzers!'

"Wotcher!" Said A.I. Tonks to the Muggle Sergeant. "Just me back again."

"Yeah. So I see. What you doing still here? Thought I said the local C.I.D. were dealing with this."

"That's right, you did. Must have forgot! I'm not muscling myself in on the enquiry, but I'm a nosey beggar, so I have just been hanging around with the rest of the crowd, sort of listening in on what they are saying. Didn't expect to hear much but, just to give you a heads up on this, see those two old biddies over there, the blue rinse and the red cardigan, (Tonks nodding her head in the general direction of the two old gossips), well, they are talking about the smell of gas over their gardens earlier. They live a street away over the back of here. I have had a wander over there to take a sniff and it still pongs a bit of gas, nothing strong, but you can't smell it this side. Just might be worth a walk round, Sarge. You'll get one up on the local suits, eh!"

"Cheers! Thanks for that. But your C.I.D, so why the give the info to uniform?"

"Nah. I'm not C.I.D., Sarge, I'm Regional Crime Squad. Different outlook on stuff. I do this 'cause I'm good at it and I'm not stuck in an office. I enjoy the wider area stuff, that's all. My heart is back in uniform. "

A smile from the old Sergeant through his grey beard made him look like a wannabee Santa Claus.

"Good on you, lass. Best of luck with your career. And, I must admit, you must be good to get RCS so young . Thanks for the help and the tip, by the way. I'll send young Tomlinson round, the young lad you first spoke too. He could do with a good job, even although there will be no arrest in it for him. So, thanks again."

"Ah, your welcome. By the way, I heard there was a survivor from this lot. That right? Lucky so-and-so to get out of it."

"Yeah, there was. The son of the family that live, well, lived here. Description fits. And ironically, young Tomlinson there has actually had cause to come to this address before. The survivor, big hefty lad, is called ...eh...Dursley, that's his surname. Parents are, hold on, let me get my notes...ah, here we are. Right. The lad is Dudley Dursley. Parents are...were...Vernon and Petunia Dursley. We are 95% certain on the beheaded victim, that's the Vernon chap. Autopsy will confirm that. But no sign of the mother, Petunia. Except, one of our dogs found a hand, what looked like a ladies hand. Plus, the dog kept licking at bits of the rubble, as if there was something on them. When the handler had a closer look at what was making the dog act like that, he saw droplets of blood and tiny bits of meat scattered amongst the debris. If that's what I think it is, Petunia Dursley is no more. Blown asunder into tiny bits! What a way to go. Well, at least they can bury her hand with her hubby. Save on the funeral costs eh!" And he gave Tonks a wink.

Dora Tonks latched onto little snippets of information like a niffler grabbing gold and she had done so now.

"Must have been well handy in this enquiry that PC Tomlinson had been here before. Save a bit of shoe leather doing door to door has it?"

The Sargeant gave a nod.

"Yeah, well handy. Still need to do some door knocking I suppose, but at least the lad's local knowledge has gave us the heads up on who lived here. The three Dursley's I mentioned are the family. The big lad that survived, this Dudley, is a right bloody yob. Leads a bunch of local tearaways that think they rule the place. Threatening kids, beating them up, shoplifting, we think a few minor robberies are in the mix as well. All sorts of stuff. A right gang of fucking hooligans the lot of them."

"So just the three live here then. Well, at least you had them all here. Located and accounted for, eh!"

"Actually, no. There is a fourth but this is a weird thing. Last summer, a year ago now, that's when young Tomlinson called here on an enquiry, a young lad answered the door. According to Tommo,...wait a bit, let him tell you. TOMLINSON. COME OVER HERE LAD...

Seconds later, PC Tomlinson was telling the tale.

"He was a skinny little runt of a lad, only about 5'2 or so, glasses, black hair. Scruffy little beggar, clothes way to big for him. Nothing fit, like old hand me downs he hadn't had a chance to grow into. Anyway, part of the enquiry was about the ruffian, this Dudley, but the other bit was that neighbours had heard the sound of someone being beaten up. Shouting and screaming from the Dursley adults and a much younger voice squealing and begging to be left alone. Went on a good ten minutes it did. OK, we were busy that day so it took a bit of time to get me released from another call to attend here. Over an hour or more later. Anyway, that's by the by. This kid answered the door. There was an old scar mark on his forehead that I could see but there was some fresh scrape marks on the back of his hands and he was favouring them a bit, as if they hurt. He kept trying to hide them from me. He was kind of walking a bit stiff as well. Thing is, considering everything I had heard about the Dursleys, pompous, ill-mannered, downright rude when it came to blame on their...eh, 'Dudders' l think they called their whale of a son.. who is a right thug on the younger kids and shopkeepers around the area, this kid was really polite. Invited me in, even made me a cuppa. There was no one else there in the house, I had missed them by about 15 minutes."

Listening intently, Tonks asked,

"Who was he, this kid? Did he give a name?"

"Can't remember the name, but it wasn't Dursley. Eh...a nephew I think he said. Just visiting for the summer. Home from some special school for 'delinquents', somewhere in Scotland . 'Delinquents'! A really unusual word for anyone to use, nowadays, never mind a kid. So I asked him about other stuff, parents, home etc. He said he lived here during the main school hols as his parents were dead. The 'authorities' put him here years before when his parents died. Strange. I never have been able to remember the name off the kid, need to look at my old notes back at the nick. He was a nice lad though. Nothing like fat boy 'Dudders'. Strange thing is, I cannot remember anything else about him. In fact, I have only just remembered he was here at all. Weird. The others , yes, but not him. Really weird."

Thinking on what was said, Tonks asked:

"Tommo, Sarge. Do you mind if I ask a couple more questions? I know it's not my enquiry, but I might notice something you haven't. Fresh ears and eyes, you know? Might help."

"Ask away." Said the Sargeant.

"Ok. Well, this kid. Did he say if he lived or visited here every summer, or was it a one off?"

Tomlinson nodded. "I get your thinking. If it's every summer, where is he now? I got the impression it was every summer and occasional other school hols as well."

Sergeant Butterworth butted in.

"What you angling at,...DC Tonks, is it?"

"Yeah Tonks. I know, stupid name. Trying to suss out if the blown apart body bits are someone else other than this Petunia. Look well for you lot if everyone thinks they have it sussed and suddenly Mrs. D turns up wondering what happened to her house and family, Sarge!"

"Shit! Yeah, see where you're going with this. Go on then. What you thinking?"

"Now this question might seem a bit off the wall, Tommo, but was it during the local school summer hols when you came here, like now, late July, or was it earlier, you know, before the local schools would have broken up for the summer?"

"Eh...it could have been earlier actually. Maybe late June or early July. Why"

"Dunno. Just something you said about no one else being here. Like I said, I'm a nosey beggar. I...I have a case I am working on, a 'only those that need to know' thing, undercover stuff, so I can't tell you much, but the description of this other kid just hit a few buttons in me brain, that's all. Anything else about this address or the people in it? Anything odd, different , about them?"

Sergeant Butterworth replied to that.

"Tommo here, won't know that, not long enough out on the borough, but yes, there is. Over the years there has been a report here and there about some weird stuff, odd looking individuals appearing in the street watching the place, something about a flying car would you believe. Hahahahahaha! The bloke that reported that one must have been well pissed up or on something else. Street lights suddenly going out all at the same time then coming back on again. Really strange. Nothing anybody could pin down to this address though. Oh, and owls. Loads of owls visiting the place, and that was this address. Anytime we sent someone to check it out they gave a 'no trace' report and were really vague about being here at all. Bloody creepy if you ask me."

Tonks' brain was going 19 to the dozen. 'Something is definitely going on here. But I need a name. Need to get young Tommo here to remember, or at least pass me the memory somehow.'

"Ok,. Well, I better leave you two to get on with your job. I've stuck my nose in enough." Tonks winked at the Sargeant.

"Eh..Sarge.. any chance I could have a private word with Tommo here?

The old Sergeant grinned. "Private word eh?"

"Well, a girl has to arrange her social life somehow!"

"Yeah. I guessed as much. I'll leave you two to it. I'll get back to the cordon. Nice to meet you Tonks." After the Sarge was out of earshot, Tonks turned to the young policeman.

"Can I ask a favour? I need that information, the details of the kid. It could be really important."

"Maybe. But, do you fancy a date? I wouldn't say no, you're well fit and gorgeous. Love the crazy blue hair!"

"Oh yeah. I dyed it as part of my cover for a current undercover job I'm on. I change it quite often. And yeah, my thoughts are the same. You're pretty fit and very nice on the eye. A date could be arranged. Got a number I can ring you on?"

"999! ...OK. I know, old joke. Need a Copper, ring 999. I'll write it down. ... Here you go. Two numbers there. Work and home. Ring me soon. I'm on a late shift tomorrow, so tonight is good. I finish at 6pm. Is tonight too quick?"

"Bloody hell, your keen! Look, tonight is no good. I am out on some searches early hours with a bit of preparation beforehand. But in a couple of days, your on."

"Hope so. Well, ring me about half five on the top number. That's work. I will have the kids name and whatever else by then ok?

"Yeah., OK. Thanks. And we'll give a date a try. You have got my interest with this other kid, the scruffy, scrawny one. Can't say to much, but my current investigation, undercover stuff, is child protection. This kid, black hair, glasses, little fella, scrawny, old hand- me- downs. Well, it's ringing a bell with me as a kid I am looking for. Could have evidence to give about ... suspects and stuff. Nasty lot I am in investigating. Could help me no end. So thanks in advance. Speak later. "

_HJP_HJP_

When she walked into the Auror HQ, Kingsley Shacklebolt was just walking to his own personal office at the back of the larger main office .

"Hi, boss. Got some news for yuh."

"About bloody time, and good news I hope. Come in here; don't want everyone overhearing."

Both entered the office, the door was closed and locking and silencing charms put in place, to the surprise of the young Auror.

"Bloody hell, boss, why all the security and secrecy?"

" Because this case is going all the way up the line, that's why. The dragon dung is hitting the wand big time. Something is going on there at Privet Drive but there are obstructions getting put in the way of the investigation from the top of the Ministry. All they want is this youngster nicked for Underage magic and stuck away. No names, no nothing. I don't like it. Anyway what you got for me?"

A.I. Tonks briefed her boss on everything she had found out, the boy, the survivor, the confirmed deceased and the definite other death but no confirmation as to who, the odd goings on, last years visit to the address...and, the apparent forgetfulness of every officer that attends at the address or area.

"Boss, that's gotta be a confundus charm of some kind, a mighty powerful one. Everyone that was even near the place pretty much forgot all about being there. So, with a charm of that power, it had to be a very magically powerful witch or wizard that was able to cast it, so that narrows down the field a bit. Who is powerful enough to cast it? Secondly, why? It's a Muggle address for Merlin's sake, not magical. Why would that place need such a powerful confundus charm let alone all the other protection and warning magic that was placed there? Look for the powerful magical that cast this lot and we just might get a surprise...or a mighty big shock! Those spells were set in place to keep people away from something or someone. "

Shacklebolt, pondering his subordinates statement, took his time in answering.

"That's why I send you to scenes Tonks, you come up with a different, out of the box way of thinking. Here's all us experienced lot trying to figure out who the kid is, where is he, how do we find him, is he the one responsible for the explosion, while you come up with a completely different angle to progress the enquiry. Given me food for thought, Tonks. Anything else?"

"Yeah. The young Copper, Andy Tomlinson. He's the one I said actually spoke with the kid last year. Now, he is the only one that seems to have had any natural resistance to the charms on and around the house. He remembers everything about the conversation he had with him, what he looked like, clothes, everything...except his name. Now, the old Sargeant had names in his pocket book about the householders, he remembered stuff from last year, about reports that were done on the address...but again, no name for the kid. It's as if something has been placed on the kids name that instantly makes anyone forget it. It's weird. Now, I have fixed with Andy Tomlinson to ring him tonight and he has said he will look out the kids name for me from last years report. So let's see what happens."

"Great work Tonks. Anything else?"

"Yes boss. Just a thought. No moon tonight and the Muggle authorities have switched the section of street lights off near the scene in case of a further gas explosion, which we both know won't happen. It will be well dark. Any chance I can go back to Privet Drive and have a nose around, in amongst the rubble and stuff? Haven't been able to do that so far with the Police search and forensic teams in there. What do you think Worth a go?"

"Yes, definitely. Take your time, disillusionment and confundus charms if necessary, you know the score. Just don't get seen, ok?"

_HJP _HJP_

Meanwhile, close to 600 miles away...

At Hogwarts School for Witches & Wizards in the west highlands of Scotland, in the headmasters office and apartment, there were many different gizmos, magical phenomena, glass domes and cylinders, mechanical clanking things and quiet whirring things. An old patched up wizards hat sat on a shelf. There was also a mystical bird, a Phoenix, this particular one being called Fawkes. It was on it's perch looking very downcast and the worse for wear, feeling sorry for itself. Flight feathers gone, barely able to move; it was overdue regenerating itself. Suddenly, at a noise from one of the spherical glass globes, Fawkes lifted his head. As the bird watched, the globe turned from a pale blue to fiery red, then exploded. Another half-dozen globes, spheres and a glass dome, all the same pale blue colour as the first one, also changed to a fiery red and exploded, all disintegrating to nothing. All, that is, except one. One such instrument, a small, glass ornament of a stag, changed from it's pale blue to a deep ocean blue, then cleared completely, like a bright clear summer's day. Then changed again, to appear gold and red, the colours of Gryffindor house.

Fawkes had a job to do, he must find the Headmaster, wherever he may be, and tell him what had occurred. But just as the Phoenix tried to become more animated and attempt to fly, he squaked, burnt up, then collapsed in a pile of soot and ash. There he would remain for at least 48hrs, until he had regenerated and able to fly again.

And so it was that Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts School and many other titled positions, master manipulator and schemer, who was many miles away from his school in a foreign land, knew nothing of what had occurred in his office or at an oh so secret address. And would know nothing of these events, or of one Harry James Potter' situation, or of the investigation and their conclusions that would disrupt and change his well laid out plans, for over three days.

Three days that would set a new course for the future.

_HJP... HJP_


	5. Chapter 4: Harry's Hideaway

CHAPTER 4. Harry's Hideaway.

Harry Potter needed medical treatment urgently, but not his usual treatment. No cruciatus curse or other hex involved this time; in fact, no magic involved at all. For once, all of his injuries were very much Muggle inflicted and with Muggle consequences. Stab wound some 3" deep into the left shoulder, luckily with nothing too vital damaged although bleeding badly; broken nose and an accompanying headache with probably black eyes to follow, crushed cartilage on his left knee and heavily bruised ribs.

"POP." Harry, Dobby and Hedwig apparated into a small cottage surrounded by glorious seascapes and island scenery.

"The great wizard Harry Potter will not be found here. He be's safe. No magical will look for Harry Potter here."

A very dazed and confused Harry looked around him. He recognised nothing, although by the scenery outside the windows he guessed it was either Scotland or Ireland.

"Where are we Dobby?"

"A special place. Only Dobby be's given the secret details by Proffy Cat Woman. Special place to keep Harry Potter safe."

"What?...Who is Proffy Cat Wom...huh! Professor McGonnagle!"

"Uh, huh. Proffy Cat Woman. She changey from cat to woman. She told Dobby to get Harry Potter to this place if he be's in trouble or hurting. She be's trusting Dobby. This place a good place Harry Potter. But must get you help. Youse is hurt and weak. Have to let Proffy Cat Woman know. She sort help. Now you must sit down Master."

Harry panicked at this last statement. After all, a person of authority linked to Hogwarts or the Ministry was the last thing he needed right now.

"No Dobby. Stop. McGonnagle. She'll tell the Headmaster and the Ministry could find out I'm here. I'm in big trouble Dobby.!"

"Dobby has instructions, Harry Potter. Dobby get the help you need. Proffy Cat Woman promised Dobby. You not go. You to be staying here. You no do magic. Dobby go now." And "POP!" He was gone.

"SHIT! And I'm in it up to my neck. Merlin, I am in so much trouble. Those bloody Dursleys! Well good fucking riddance!"

Harry, weak and hurting as he was, knew he had to try and stop the bleeding from his shoulder. He needed some towels or cloths, but where? He was in what looked like the living room of the building. He could see three doors but they were all closed and all a few yards away. His knee was a bit of wreck, he was very dizzy. He was pretty sure he could get on his feet using the furniture to pull himself up, but could he walk?

The answer to that was no. No sooner had he used a nearby chair to assist him to stand than he was slumped into it. He couldn't even take one step, his head spinning and left knee collapsing under him.

"Merlin! That hurt. .."

'Crack!...Pop!'

The two clearly distinctive sounds of a witch or wizard apparating in and a house elf doing the same. Before Harry stood his Head of House Gryffindor, Professor Minerva McGonnagle and once again, Dobby.

"Potter! What's happened to you?" And went immediately to his side.

"Professor...I...I'm hurt bad. My shoulder...face ... , all over."

Looking him over quickly, she replied,

"Hurt indeed; but you have been worse. Better get you some treatment... but as Dobby has brought you here on my instructions, I am taking it that 's or Madame Pomfrey would not be a wise choice for that. Am I right?"

Harry nodded gently.

"I have really got myself in the dragon dung this time, Professor. Deep in it. I had to. . "

McGonnagle held up a hand.

"Shush, Harry. The whys and why not's do not matter just now. You can tell me later. But, how were these injuries inflicted? Any magic involved?"

"No Professor. All Muggle inflicted...my Aunt and Uncle."

A look of horror crossed the old witches face.

"The Dursleys! ...Those... AAAHHHH!...I told Albus not to leave you there. I bloody well told him 14 years ago. The worst of their kind..!"

Harry was shocked at the admission of his Head of House. And his temper, even in his current state, began to rise.

"You knew I was put there? You ... you knew! But why? I have been beaten and been a bloody slave for them all these years . I'm a mess and now in the shit big time because of them. Why Professor...why?..." and his tears and temper both began to fall. "Why?"

"I will tell you Harry. You deserve to hear it from me but that's for later. Let's get you treatment." Then turning to Dobby, she gave him instructions.

"Dobby. I have already sent my patronus ahead to contact a young lady, but I need you to go fetch her and bring her here. She cannot apparate herself. The address is Ardgarten Cottage, Isle of Mull. She'll be waiting for you. Her name is Meghan."

"Dobby will go. Anything to help the great wizard Harry Potter."

'POP!'

Now turning her attention back to Harry, McGonnagle said,

"Bed for you, Harry. Now." And pointing her wand at him, she said the two spells:

"Stupefy". And Harry went out cold.

"Levimobilicorpus!"

Harry instantly floated out of the chair he was in and into the air. McGonnagle began walking across the room, her wand moving Harry behind her. She opened a door at the side of the room and using the power of her magic she directed Harry through the doorway . It was a bedroom and he floated over onto the bed. Just at that moment there was a 'POP' of Dobby returning.

A soft, lilting Scots accent greeted the renowned old witch.

"Hello Aunt Minny. Where is he and what's his injuries?"

"In here and unconscious.. Broken nose. Some kind of blood injury and probably some other stuff to his leg and body. He can't walk and he is woozy and in a lot of pain. I have stupefied him to give you a chance to examine him thoroughly. He can be a very uncooperative and awkward patient. But he is also very grateful for all the help he gets and right now he needs a lot. All muggle injuries, no witches or wizards involved. At the moment that's all I know. He needs your skills my dear." And both giving and accepting a kiss on the cheek, she added,

""It's lovely to see you and thanks for coming at such short notice, Meghan."

"Lovely to see you too and it's no problem. Anything for you, Aunt Minny...and for him, so let me have a look at the famous Harry Potter."

Walking to the bed, Meghan McGonnagle saw that famous Harry Potter for the first time in 14 years; since he was 1 and her 7. She saw a beaten up, bloody, scrawny but handsome lad, in baggy, much-to-big-for- him clothes, a lad that in the magical world was either hated or revered and was a complete unknown in the Muggle world. She gently smiled down at his unconscious form and said,

"Hello Harry. Long time no see. And I wish it was in better circumstances." Then she bent over and kissed his forehead. "Apparently, at the age of 7, I pronounced I was going to marry you. So you behave and don't wake up or I may have to change my opinion on that! Hmmm. You are a bloody mess. Best get you fixed up first or I won't have a groom. Aunt Minny, i need a hand here. I need him stripped to his boxers so I can examine and treat him. Can you do the necessary?"

"I do not normally strip my students, Meghan, especially the Male ones...but under the circumstances..." and with a quick flick and swish of her wand, and a silent spell, Harry's clothes disappeared and he was lying in just his boxers. Both woman gasped when they saw the state of him.

"Merlin! ...Oh, Harry, what have I done!" said Professor McGonnagle with a slight tremor in her voice. "I have so let you down."

Taking a deep breath, Meghan said,

"Aunt Minny. Let me treat the immediate injuries first. The rest...well...maybe later, once I...we...have spoken to Harry. Now, boiling water. There are three separate lots of mixed herbs and plants in my bag. Can you soak the bundle in the green cloth in the water and then squeeze it till it is not dripping, just damp and steaming. Don't do it by magic. The boiling water is part of the treatment. I need it for a poultice for the stab wound. I will need that first. Then the brown cloth poultice; same with that. That's for the bruising. The third poultice is for his ribs and knee, but I will have to figure out the damage to him first. I may well have to add some ingredients to the poultice. Now, what you can use your magic for is to keep the poultices steaming hot. Also, don't let Harry wake up. This is going to hurt him so best he stay unconscious. Now let's go."

And so both of them set about on their separate tasks all for one purpose...to mend Harry Potter. Meghan McGonnagle cleaned his shoulder wound until it bled fresh blood, then, laying the now steaming poultice mix over the wound and her hands applying light pressure, she closed her eyes and, for a number of minutes, said an incantation in an ancient island language both incomprehensible and long forgotten[DP1] . The mushy mixture of herbs and plants seemed to bind itself to Harry's skin, forming a layer like a second skin over the wound, stopping the bleeding and sealing it. She then moved to his nose, manipulating the bone back into place with a crunch. Harry moaned at that but the elder McGonnagle bolstered her spell to keep him sedated. Meghan then took a small amount of the second poultice paste and spread it over his nose, and again, applying pressure between the thumb and forefinger to the injury, muttered more of that same, strange language. She spread another portion of that same poultice across his cheeks.

Having dealt with the two obvious injuries, Meghan moved to Harry's torso, running her long, elegant but strong figures over his other shoulder, then his ribs and abdomen. She paused here and there where she could feel or sense injury, be it broken or fractured bone, heavy bruising or swelling. At these places, she spread her fingers wide over the site and leant into Harry's body, recited her incantations, then again used the necessary poultice. All this time, Meghan never spoke another word. Only the Old Language of the Ancient Scot's Healers and Mystics could be heard coming from her and when she recited the incantations , for however long or short a time, she seemed to go into trance-like state, her concentration absolute on the job at hand.

Harry's face and upper body done, Meghan then turned her attention to his legs. The very obvious injury to his left knee, the swelling and bruising around it, was left till the examination of the rest was done. No other leg injuries being found, she treated the knee. Placing the widespread fingers and thumb of her left hand around the knee, she slid her right hand onto the knee itself, then using her stiff fingers like a scraper, she pushed at the lower left cartilage and kneecap until she could feel the tear mending and the kneecap coming back together in its correct position. She then took the remainder of the third poultice, spread it onto the knee, then using the actual hot cloth of the poultice wrapped it around Harry's knee to hold the paste in place. She then moved both her hands, one either side of the damaged cartilage and kneecap, and pressing the knee tightly, recited her umpteenth incantation of the treatments she had done on Harry.

Meghan then turned to her aunt.

"Aunt Minny. Harry has received kicks, punches and whatever else all over his body. It wouldn't be right if I didn't examine Harry's private areas. As he is your student , if you would rather not be here then ... .well, I could do with a cup of tea. I will be finished with Harry after that."

"Thank you for the warning, niece, and yes, I will go and make a cuppa. I will at least save young Harry here the embarrassment of me being present when you ... yes, well , ...yes. Cup of tea it is. I also have a very nice bottle of very old malt tucked away somewhere which I will now go find. Want a dram or three with your tea? Oh, and some shortbread?"

Meghan McGonnagle smiled at her aunt.

"You always have liked your wee tipple of the good stuff. No to the dram, Aunt Minny, but I will have a bit of shortbread. Hopefully, five minutes and I'm done."

"Righto. See you shortly, then."

When the bedroom door closed, Meghan turned around and looked down at her young patient. She went a mild shade of pink as she smiled at him.

"Sorry Harry. But just a quick look and feel around and hopefully your bits are good...eh, unharmed. Then I will leave you be for a while."

Meghan put her hands on the waistband of Harry's boxers and pushed them down over his thighs. Her eyes opened wide in astonishment.

"OH! That's...Your...Oh my... Your bits are definitely good Harry. Good job Aunt Minnie left. She'd have a heart attack if she saw this lot. Only 15 and hung like that. There's going to be many a witch in for a very pleasant surprise with you, Harry Potter. Anyway, best get on with the touchy-feely bit, I suppose."

A few minutes later, a flushed and rather warm Meghan McGonnagle exited the bedroom in search of her aunt and that cuppa.

"Ah. Just in time Meghan. Tea's ready. Harry's ok? .. .Are you alright?"

Meghan reddened more.

"Yes, yes. Fine...just fine. And Harry is too. I'm just a bit warm. eh. Any chance I could change my mind and have that dram, please, Aunt Minny.? Oh, and give Harry a bit of time. He will be well sore if you wake him too early. Needs a bit of recovery time."

"Well, as I said earlier, Meghan, I think you will be very surprised at the rate Harry heals. Knowing him, he will be up and about within 24hrs and bright as a galleon and all healed up by the end of the week. And something else, too. I didn't notice this immediately with Harry, to concerned about getting him treatment, but it looks like he has grown quite significantly in just the few weeks since I last saw him. He really has filled out a lot. I would judge he has got taller too, by a good 3 or 4 inches. Can't tell exactly till he stands up."

"Oh! Has he been quite small then, Aunt Minny? He certainly isn't now."

"Yes, one of the smallest in his year throughout his whole time at Hogwarts. Skinny and a bit short for his age. I think only some of the female students were shorter than him. All the lads were taller. He certainly seems to have caught up now though."

"He seems to be about right for his age, Aunt Miinny. Aged 15, he will be getting up towards his full height, maybe a bit more, although he will still have quite a bit of thickening up to do. Harry is slim and I suspect he always will be, but his body is wiry with good muscle definition, he is very fit. ('Very fit indeed, in one particular area' thought Meghan to herself.) A slight reddening came to her cheeks.

_HJP_HJP_

* * *

[DP1]


	6. Chapter 5: Discussion & Magical Examinat

CHAPTER 5._Discussion and Magical Examination

The two McGonnagle women, some 50 plus years between them in age, were very fond of each other. Not directly related, in fact, quite distant as family connections went, Meghan being the great, great granddaughter of Minerva's own grandfather, Malcolm William McGonnagle, but along a different family line. However, the McGonnagle family, the magical part at least, were a close knit lot and tended to stay in touch. The fact that Meghan's own great grandfather, Minerva's uncle, was very much hale and hearty at over a hundred years old helped considerably in keeping the family together. Also, the home schooling of Meghan by the family was greatly assisted by Minerva's planning of a curriculum for her.

Meghan was regarded as a squib as a child, a witch with little or no magical ability. However, as she grew it was seen that her magical talents lay not in spell casting but an incredible ability for healing. Her touch and tenderness towards all things ill or injured was astounding. She could feel out the bodily weaknesses, understand the ailment or the broken bone or limb. So, in her late childhood, 9 to 10yrs old, Professor McGonnagle was approached by Meghan's parents to help plan out a home learning curriculum to augment and enhance her natural ability. With the help of other Hogwarts Professors, particularly Pimona Sprout with Herbology and, of all people, Severus Snape with potions and Madam Pomfrey, the resident Hogwarts Senior Healer, her ability to heal grew at an incredible pace. She also attended local primary and secondary schools, where she excelled, her exam results in biology, chemistry and the very specialist subject of botany in particular being perfect, the highest mark's ever attained for her school. She studied ancient old methods of healing using plants, herbs, animal extracts, using them in poultices and potions, pastes and in nutrition and diet. Thus now, at only 22yrs old, her combined studies and abilities in both magical and muggle methods had propelled her to university level qualifications way beyond her years. She was recognised as an up and coming genius in her field in the Muggle world, but so far, due to the male dominated Victorian outlook of magical Britain, who turned away from 'squibs' incapable of attending Hogwarts, she was unheralded. This made her an ideal choice for tending, a very much hidden, Harry Potter.

The two witches, cousins or aunt/niece a few times removed, had spent some time catching up, checking up on Harry, and generally talking about him. Meghan had tried to help Hedwig but the injured owl but would not let Meghan anywhere near her broken wing. She remained standing guard over Harry. Dobby, at McGonnagle's insistence, had departed back to Hogwarts to await further instructions.

"Meg. Harry's been out for the count for a good couple of hours now. I will have to release the stupefy spell soon. It is not good to keep it on too long. Will he need longer?"

"I will judge that when he is awake. I would expect a healthy young wizard like Harry to take around 10 days to two weeks to sufficiently heal from these injuries to be able to get about ok, but you mentioned earlier that he heals incredibly fast, even for a wizard. So baring in mind these are purely physical injuries, how fast are you talking about?"

"Meg, Harry's ability to heal is as extraordinary as your skills. He has sustained really nasty injuries, both muggle and magically inflicted, throughout his short life, but his body repairs itself at a pace beyond any understanding. Only two years or so ago he lost all the bones from his arm when a spell from an idiot of a wizard went wrong. Now, even with skelegrow, you would expect somewhere between 5 days to a week to regrow and repair the arm; he had full regrowth and use of the arm within 48 hours. He has suffered a powerful cruciatus curse inflicted on him; he has come out of it and been able to function almost immediately; the Imperious curse he actually shrugs off and keeps going. And his capacity to withstand injury and pain is off the scale. Harry is truly astonishing. I have never in all my years known anyone like him."

Meghan looked at her aunts expressions and listened to the tone of her voice as she was describing Harry. She was so animated in her acknowledgement of Harry's abilities that Meghan couldn't help but smile.

"Aunt Minny, I do believe you have a soft spot for that young man in there!"

It was not often over her long years that Minerva McGonagall blushed, but on this occasion, she went slightly pink, realising she had been caught out by her niece. She returned her niece's smile with one of her own and a nod of her head.

"Yes, Meg, you may be right. I have been very good at remaining as 'favourite free' as I possibly can throughout all my teaching years with only the odd exception. Harry though, has definitely hit the spot. Ironically, so too did his late mother, Lily Evans. She was probably my favourite student in all my time at Hogwarts. Extraordinarily gifted, was Lily, but a truly lovely girl in all ways. Sadly, taken from us, from young Harry, far, far too soon. Do you remember Harry's mum, Lily, or his dad, James? You did meet them a few times many years ago"

Meghan shook her head.

"No, I cannot say I do. The last time I went with you to their house was for Harry's first birthday. I was only seven myself. Aunt Minny, how come you were invited to that? I don't mean to be rude, but you were just their Professor."

"Ah, now that is where you are wrong. I was very good friends with James Potter's parents, Harry's grandparents. In fact, I was James' Godmother. I knew James his whole life."

"Oh! So I presume it's the same with Harry?"

A look of flushed anger went across the Professor's face, followed within seconds by one of sadness.

"That should be the case, but sadly and to my total regret and guilt, that did not happen. I let Albus Dumbledore run the rule over Harry's circumstances from the day he was orphaned. I did not see Harry at all for nearly ten years. I have so let that boy down...and James and Lily. I will live with that decision for the rest of my days. But now, no matter what, I will have charge of Harry's welfare. Dumbledore can go fuck himself!"

"Aunt Minny!' said Meghan in shock. "I have never heard you use the 'f' word before. You must be pis...annoyed!"

"Seeing Harry injured is not new to me, Meghan. Merlin knows, he attracts trouble like metal to a magnet, gets himself into more scrapes than 10 other boys will do in a lifetime. He has suffered curses and hexes, physical injury as a result of the same, fought Riddle and dragons and Death Eaters and...oh, goodness knows what else. I don't want him injured any more, but he is definitely Riddle's target, Harry IS the one that it is said could defeat him. And Harry has been put in the correct house, Gryffindor. He is as brave as a lion and so protective of others. So having seen him suffer so much already, seen the way our world treats him, the way my school, staff and pupils alike, including me, Merlin forgive, have treated him...except one..well, for his own relatives to do this to him, stab and smash him up the way they have, the whole of this together has really got me so, so angry. I owe him, Meghan. I owe that boy in there so much. Well, I am starting now. Dumbledore, Voldemort, the whole fucking Ministry if need be, they will rue the day they cross Minerva McGonagall. There is ancient magic in these northern lands, on these islands, from times way before Merlin, way before the Romans, from times when the druids roamed here and the McGonagall's are part of that history. We have been here since those times and even earlier. I know how to call on that magic, magic that Dumbledore and all the rest of them know nothing about. If I have to use it to protect Harry, I will do so. They are not going to get to that boy any more! Over my dead body...and I take some killing!"

There was a pause in the conversation, both witches with their own thoughts. Minerva with her anger and regrets, Meghan's with her patient and pondering on her great aunt's words of ancient McGonagall magic. Then Meghan changed tack.

"Aunt Minny, Why is Harry here, in your 'protective custody', for want of a better phrase?"

"I don't know for certain. My instructions to Dobby were to get him here only as a last resort, if he really had literally no where else to go and was in great danger. When Dobby came to get me, Harry was already here. When I asked Dobby what had happened he babbled on in great excitement about Harry being hurt and the fat man's house exploded. Harry had told Dobby to take him somewhere safe where he couldn't be found. I came straight here myself then, saw the state of Harry who told me that the Dursley's did the injuries to him, so I had Dobby bring you here. The Dursley's are Harry's so-called relatives. I am presuming that the 'fat man's house' is their house in Surrey. Vernon Dursley and his son are grossly fat. How it all concerns Harry I don't know."

Meghan nodded.

"Harry's injuries are consistent with Muggle inflicted. Stab wound to the shoulder, blunt trauma to the nose, face, ribs front and back, and some kind of weapon with a blunt edge to his knee. No trace of any magic used at all on the injuries. However, my feelings are that there had been a bit of a reduction in his magical power, as if he has cast powerful spells very recently. His core levels seems reduced. You could find that out better than me. You have a wand."

The Hogwarts Professor gave a startled look at her niece.

"What?" And Minerva immediately got up. "He has been out of school for weeks and at 15 he is not supposed to use magic away from there. He lives in a muggle area and home. If he used any kind of magic the Ministry will be alerted immediately. Bugger! If your right...!" And she headed for Harry's bedroom.

Casting the necessary spells over Harry, she was surprised at the results.

"Merlin's pants! You are right. His core is certainly depleted. Where is his wand? I can check that out too."

"Oh. I wrapped it with his clothing when I folded them." Answered Meghan. "Over there on the chair. I'll get it."

Seconds later, Professor McGonnagle was again using her wand magic to good effect in trying to ascertain just what spells, if any, Harry had been casting.

"Well, he has indeed been using magic. And quite recently, in fact. I would say no more than three hours ago. ... Hmm! One spell. Powerful enough but certainly not enough to deplete his core . What was that spell he cast...?"

A touch of the tip of Harry's wand by her own, an incantation,.."Priori Incantatem"...and the mist like residues of the last spell Harry cast from his wand slipped from the tip into the air. Harry's patronas charm was easily recognisable.

"That's strange. Why would Harry need a 'Patronas' charm in Little Whinging?. It's for repelling dementors and other evil spirits. Most peculiar!"

McGonnagle continued with her investigations and as the mists of the next spell came forth from Harry's wand she stopped.

"Well this spell is weeks ago in school, no problem with this. So, what has happened? Harry can cast his patronus charm with ease. It would hardly put a dent in his magic."

"Aunt Minny," asked Meghan. "can Harry cast wandless spells?"

"I have never seen or heard of him ever doing that and powerful as he is for his age, very unlikely at aged only 15. Why do you ask?"

"Well, what else could account for such a magic core depletion?"

Minerva looked at her niece and nodded.

"Yes, that makes sense, but the spells for checking wandless magic are complex and need two witches or wizards to do them."

"Ok. Let's get to it then. I can do that."

Minerva McGonnagle was surprised at her nieces statement.

"You can do it? But how? This needs wands to cast the spells. You cannot do them any other way."

"Yes you can, Aunt Minny.. Or at least I can. You cast the spells with the wand, I can cast them 'hands on', literally. I place my hands on his forehead, we both say the spells together, my magic draws from him the information we need, all through my hands in the same way it flows from you through your wand. I cannot do wandless magic as it's recognised but I can if I am actually in contact with the subject. That is how I can do my medicine and healing. I can actually 'see' the injury or illness by touch and magic. I don't just send my magic through my hands, I can pull information, both physical and magical, out of a patient as well. I have the magical power, it is just different, that's all."

"Merlin! How come I never knew this about you? I knew of your incredible diagnostic and healing skills but I did not realise how your skills actually worked. I just thought it was a sort of 'sixth sense', like the ancients talked about, sort of mystical. Kind of calculated guess work."

"Hahahahahaha! Yes. I can understand you and others thinking that. But my skills are everything but guess work. It is accurate magical diagnosis, like a combined muggle x-ray machine and MRI scanner rolled into one. Just the same as Madam Pomfrey at Hogwarts, no different. She uses a wand, I use my hands, that's all. I needed the biological and medical knowledge to understand what I was seeing with my magic and that's where all my school and university studies came in. I know you are a fine magical Professor, but the magical world is so backward when it comes to modern teaching methods and subjects. They know nothing about how advanced muggle society is."

McGonnagle gave her niece a look of wonderment.

"That's incredible. I always knew that you were no Squib, I knew that you had magic in you, but this really has enlightened me. Your magic is way beyond what I thought it was. You learn something new everyday. ...Well, let's investigate what young Mister Potter here has been up too. Shall we?"

"I just need the spell, Aunt Minny."

"The spell for you is 'mens magicae priori' (prior mind magic ) My spell is 'corporis magicae priori' (prior body magic). We say each of those spells separately, you first, me immediately afterwards. Then we say 'revelio' together. Hold the position over Harry and keep repeating 'revelio' until the spells stop. Got that?"

"Yes, got that. Me first, right?"

A nod of the head from the elder McGonnagle and she watched as McGonnagle the younger placed her hands either side of Harry's head but stretched her thumbs across his forehead to touch together just above the bridge of his nose. Minerva pointed her wand across Harry's torso, parallel to him. She nodded to her niece again.

"Mens magicae priori" was uttered in a soft island lilt.

"Corporis magicae priori" followed in the more stilted Scots tones of the senior witch and she circled Harry Potter's torso with her wand, lowering it to place the tip on his chest, then she again nodded to her niece. Together they said,

"REVELIO!"

As Meghan lifted her thumbs from Harry's forehead, Minerva lifted her wand from his chest to above head height and widely circled all three of them with the wand. Instantly, the soft mists of faded magic began to drift upwards from Harry's head and body, coming together over them to form one drifting cloud before slowly revealing a picture of Harry casting his 'bombardia' spell and the huge power of the spell. As this faded but the mists remained, both witches said,

"REVELIO!"

And the mists again revealed the casting and power of the combined spell 'protege repello muggletum'. Neither mist pictures revealed who the spells were used against. The mist then disappeared.

The witches looked at each other in shock. McGonnagle senior spoke first.

"Well.. you were right, lass. Wandless spell casting at age 15!. And the power of those spells..."

"...Particularly the 'bombardia'. It was a huge expulsion of magic. But why and against who, Aunt Minny?"

Minerva shook her head.

" Merlin knows! The picture was showing Harry lying down or prone, not standing up, and he was pointing upwards with his hand, so he has cast it from a bed or floor, the ground maybe, towards someone above him. An attacker, maybe?"

Meghan was thinking more about what she had seen, then said,

"Aunt Minny, those spells tell us why Harry's magical core is depleted but surely, from the power in those spells, his core should be even lower still. But.. well, the power spells and core level just don't make sense. At only 15, he should have been unconscious using that amount of magic so quickly. And remember, he cast a 'patronus' charm with his wand earlier, maybe only hour or so before that. How can that be that he was still able to function?"

Minerva gave a small laugh.

"Meghan, it is like I said to you earlier, when it comes down to Harry Potter, he makes the known, accepted, magical parameters look silly. He is unique. I don't know the answers to those questions and I can tell you now, neither does Harry! He is as puzzled over his abilities as everyone else. Anyway, we at least have something to go on and Harry, once he is awake, will hopefully tell us the rest. He seemed ready to tell all earlier but I judged that getting him medical attention was more of a priority than him telling his story. Now, I need to withdraw the sleeping charm. That ok with you?"

'Yes. He seems fine. I got the signs when I had my hands on his head. He's good".

A spell cancellation followed 'Finiti stupefy.", and Harry Potter began to stir. His eyelids fluttered, then opened. His head slowly moved as he tried to look around him. Meghan retrieved his glasses from the Nearby chair and placed them on his nose. He looked up at her and puzzlement was in his eyes.


	7. Chapter 6: The Explanation

CHAPTER 6. Explanations.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The voice that replied came from the opposite side of the bed.

"She is my niece and your doctor, Mr Potter, so be polite."

Harry's head shot round followed by,

"AAHHH! Merlin! That hurt!...Professor. You're here!"

"Yes, I am. And this young lady is both Healer and Doctor Meghan McGonnagle; a veritable genius at fixing up young wizards who are always getting themselves into mischief and getting themselves injured, yet again! And we are both very interested in what you have been up to, young Harry. But that can wait." And she nodded to Meghan.

At the nod, Harry looked back to the opposite side of the bed, this time much slower. He saw a young woman that he estimated could not be more than 25years old. Very pretty, slim, long dark brown hair pulled into a loose ponytail, seeming taller than himself, lively hazel eyes, with a gentle smile. She was looking down on him fondly.

"Hello, Harry Potter. I am the one that has mucked about with your body and fixed you up. You were in a bit of a bloody mess to say the least. How are you feeling and how is the pain from your injuries?"

At that question, Harry remembered just how badly injured he was. He could still feel the injuries around his body but all of them were definitely less than they were. No longer the sharp and agonising pain of stab injury and broken bones, but now a steady, dull ache

"The pain is a lot less and bearable, thanks, although I feel a bit washed out. And even that little bit of movement I did was stiff and sore. A lot better than I was when I got here, though. Eh, thank you for what you've done for me. I'm not really sure what all my injuries are, I just knew I had a lot."

Meghan smiled . "Yes. That is a good diagnosis; you have indeed got a lot of injuries. Want a run through of them?"

"Yes please. Don't worry about mentioning bruising. I realise I have loads of that."

"Yes you have. All over the place. So, let's see. Stab wound down through the top of the left shoulder, 3" deep. That's injured the muscle. Lots of blood but other than that you were lucky. I have repaired the muscle magically, packed it with a poultice that will clean it out of any infection, closed the wound and also layered the poultice around the wound. Your arm is in a sling to assist the muscle to heal properly. Next, broken nose. Straightforward, I've straightened it, used magic to knit the cartilage together and again used a poultice across your nose and face to assist with the healing. 3rd is a torn cartilage and tendon in your left knee. A bit like the shoulder that one. Magic healing but because it's a joint it will need a bit of time and rest to heal fully. What's next?...Ah. A couple of cracked ribs, multiple bruising pretty much everywhere. I used a bit of magic healing on the ribs, poultice for the really bad bruises. The rest your own body will cope with itself. That's it. The poultice packed into your wound will dissolve on its own and pass through the body. The surface one's will just wash off. Plenty to be going on with, I think. Now, the next bit my aunt wants to talk to you about."

Harry eyes had opened wide in surprise at the catalogue of injuries he had suffered. And all inflicted by Muggles. When he heard the last bit of Meghan's statement he inwardly groaned. He knew there was a grilling coming up.

"Dr. McGonnagle, thanks a lot for what you have done for me. I was injured more than I realised. It is really good of you to come here."

'Dr. McGonnagle' was taken by surprise at the young wizard's thanks, not so much the thank you in itself but the sincerity that was in his voice and demeanour. 'He is one really polite and very nice young man. I wish all my patients were like him'. She smiled down at him.

"You are most welcome. One for my CV...'I treated Harry Potter!' And Harry, my names Meghan to you. Leave the Doctor bit for when I am in my scrubs! OK?"

Harry nodded.

"Now, Just one more thing then my aunt will speak with you. I heal all living things Harry. So, any chance you could get Hedwig to let me heal her wing? So far, she has let me no where near her."

"OH! That would be great. ...Hedwig!"

A click of a beak off to his left let him know she was near then a flutter of feathers as his beautiful snow white familiar hopped onto the bed. Her right wing was very obviously damaged as it was lying much lower and crooked against her.

"Hello girl. Thank you for coming to my aid this afternoon. I am sorry you got injured. You have been very brave. The Dursley's won't be bothering you or I any more. They're gone, girl. For good." This brought a gasp and a look of shock from his old Professor "Now, this lady is a healer. Her name is Meghan and she has fixed me up great. She wants to do the same for you and heal your wing, so be nice. She has to touch you. No biting, ok? And if you're good I am sure she will have a treat for you."

A bobbing of the head and a 'clickclick' of her beak was all the confirmation Harry needed.

"Meghan, hold out your arm to Hedwig. That's it. Jump on girl! Ok Doc, Hedwig's good with it."

"Thanks Harry. My, Hedwig. You are so lovely and you will be back to your even more beautiful self when I fix your wing."

Hedwig's wide eyes looked straight at 'the Doc' and with a tilt of the head and a 'click' of the beak, she approved of Meghan's compliments.

Harry laughed. "She's all yours now Doc...Meghan. She loves your compliments."

Harry then turned to his Head of House.

"Professor. I suppose you want an explanation."

"Now, how did you guess that !" And, in her very school Professor tone, she said, "From the beginning would be nice. Like, why did the Dursleys give you these injuries, where are they now, why did you use magic out of school and particularly the powerful spells you did. And how, in Merlin's name, have you concealed wandless spell casting from me and every other Professor at Hogwarts? Is that enough to be going on with, do you think?"

Harry gulped. 'Better tell all of it Harry.' He said to himself.

"Professor. It all started late this afternoon when I was..." and he told Professor McGonnagle everything, concealing nothing. McGonnagle and her niece listened with astonishment as Harry told his tale. "...then Dobby brought Hedwig and I here. That's it. You know the rest...Oh, wait a minute! The letter! I received a letter from the Ministry of Magic just as I was about to leave Privet Drive. I grabbed it but haven't opened it yet. I shoved it in my pocket."

A look of shock horror crossed the two witches faces when he mentioned the two wandless spells and the resulting deaths of both the adult Dursleys. McGonnagle was the first to speak.

"Harry. You killed them! Your relatives. No wonder Dobby brought you here. You are in serious trouble, indeed, Harry. The Ministry, they will have Auror search squads out looking for you, the Department of Mysteries will be involved. Let alone your use of spells like those one's in a Muggle area. You really are in it up to your neck , this time. This is Azkaban territory, Harry. Merlin! You don't do things by half measures. Well, we better have a look at that Ministry letter first."

Searching the pockets of his denims produced the letter and McGonnagle handed it to Harry.

"Harry, as the addressee you will have to open it. Ministry letters prevent anyone else from doing so."

It was only in the re-telling of the tale that it was dawning on Harry himself just how much trouble he was in. This was his worst incident by far. Dreading what the letter would say, he tore it open nevertheless. He scanned it quickly before reading it aloud.

"Dear Mr. Potter.

It has come to the attention of the Department of the Misuse of Magic and also the Department of the use of Underage Magic that you, aged 15 years, have offended against the following magical statutes:

1\. Using magic on two occasions in the presence of Muggles at #4 Privet Dr, Little Whinging. Contrary to the Misuse of Spells Act, 1743.

2\. Using magic when instructed not to do so due to an earlier similar offence. Contrary to the Ministry Spells Order Act, 1691 as amended by the same Order of 1780.

3\. At aged 15, an underage wizard, have now used 4 spells, ( a combined spell counting as two separate spells),in a Muggle area and home when unsupervised by a suitably qualified adult wizard. Contrary to the Magical misuse of spells by Underage Witches and Wizards Act of 1731 as amended on the 31st December, 1901.

Due to the seriousness of the offences and apparent disregard of Ministry rules and Laws of magical use and behaviour, you have to remain at 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey. An Auror guard is being dispatched along with a Department official, when you will be arrested and your wand confiscated. Do not use your wand, or indeed, use any magic, pending your arrest and trial.

Hope you are having a good day.

Yours Sincerely

Maphilda Hopkirk

Deputy Head of the Department for Underage Wizardry. "

Meghan McGonnagle was the first to speak.

"Oh Merlin! That reads as serious bother you're in Harry. Really bad serious!"

"Really bad serious, indeed, niece." Piped up the elder McGonnagle. "Auror squad, arrest, confiscated wand, Ministry officials, trial! You do not do things by halves, Harry. The letter states you had a previous one? What was that for?"

"That was for the Dementor attack, when I cast my Petronus."

"Harry. You haven't answered my final question. How have you concealed your ability for 'wandless magic'? This really is powerful magic by anyone, let alone a fifteen year old. You have never shown this kind of ability before."

"I can't answer that Professor as I don't know myself. I realised I was badly hurt by Uncle Vernon, he threatened to kill Hedwig for defending me. I...I was sore and angry; just thought of having to protect Hedwig , put my hand up to try and stop Vernon and ... well, I suppose by thinking protection and stopping the fat lump I cast the combined spell."

Harry paused for a few seconds before continuing.

"The bombardia against Petunia. She had hit me across the face when I was already down, broke my nose. I was not far off unconscious. Then she stabbed me. The pain was excruciating . I just pushed against her, thought of an explosion and it happened. That's it. It just... happened. Professor, what are you going to do with me? Being forgiving and getting me out of detentions and stuff in school is one thing, but this! I don't want you involved in this one. You could get in serious trouble yourself. The Ministry thinks I am a potentially dangerous nutter as it is. With Cedric Diggory's death hanging over my head, today will just prove their point. You will have to hand me in and let me take my chances...or let me go and take my chances of keeping clear of the Aurors."

A "Huh!" was the Professor 's first reaction, then "That'll be the day. If I thought you would get anywhere near a fair hearing and an acquittal I would say yes, but like you Harry, I do not trust the Ministry, the Wizengamot, not even Albus Dumbledore! He keeps to many bloody secrets all in the name of 'The Greater Good'. Well, he can shove his greater good where the sun doesn't shine. You are staying here, ."

Harry suddenly realised that he did not have a clue where 'here' was.

"Professor, where is 'here'? Where am I?"

"Ah! I did wonder when you would get round to that question. Well, I am not going to tell you, exactly. Sufficient for you to know that it is off the high north west coast of Scotland, an island of the Hebrides. It is my bolt hole in times of dire need and emergency or for a bit of peace and quiet. No one knows of its existence let alone its location. Only Dobby does now. He brought you here and then Meghan. This cottage is untraceable Harry, by magic means or muggle."

Meghan touched her aunt's arm.

"Aunt Minny. That might be a problem. Harry will have the 'trace' on him, he 's only 15!"

McGonnagle laughed lightly.

"Not now he hasn't. The spells around this place wipe every trace element clean. Gone. They couldn't trace Harry in Hogwarts now, let alone anywhere else. Old McGonnagle magic." And she winked at Harry. " You and the Weasley twins are not the only ones with tricks up your sleeves."

"So, I really am safe here, Professor?"

"Yes you are, Harry. You will not be found. However, I will now have to find out what has happened at your old address and I cannot send Dobby. Are you ok with Meghan staying here to keep an eye on you and tend to your injuries?"

"But Professor, I could go with.. "

"No buts, Harry. Meghan stays and you do what she says. You need to rest, get well and do not use magic. You are in the dragon dung up to your armpits and until I can figure out what is going on about all this you, for once, need to do what I say. And when I get back... I promise to tell you everything. Your parents, Dumbledore,...everything. Deal?"

Harry looked at his Head of House for a few seconds, then nodded.

"Yes, Professor. Deal."

_HJP_HJP_


	8. Chapter 7:Back at the Scene

CHAPTER 7: An Hour later, back at the Crime Scene.

The night had drawn in, cloaking the now derelict, blown apart address of 4 Privet Drive in an even deeper darkness than was normal. A 6' tall, chain link wire barrier protected the dangerous site and 8' tall wooden hoardings blocked it from general view. This, along with the street lighting turned off for 100 yards around made the site pitch black, eerie and forlorn. The fact that virtually everyone in the small town of Little Whinging knew what happened, or thought they did, that a gas main leak had caused the explosion that killed the two awful, obnoxious, pompous, house owners and that gave the residents a spooky, haunted feeling about the place. Everyone avoided it.

Except one...well, possibly one, although...

She had made her call to PC Tomlinson but with no result on further information. Once again, the protection spells on the address and on the unknown boys name had done their job, PC Tomlinson amazed that his notes did not include the details. So, (Nympha)Dora Tonks had arrived back at Little Whinging, realised all local services had retired from the scene for the night, saw her opportunity to investigate the scene unhindered and so using the darkness to her advantage, apparated onto the site. The gaseous spell she had cast hours earlier was still lingering around the scene reinforcing the Muggle conclusion that the explosion was down to a gas leak.

"Lumos angustus".

A very narrow, torch type of light came from Tonks' wand, giving her sufficient illumination for her to begin searching, occasionally casting a spell to try and locate any source of magic. On the third such casting, she got an indication from the area of the house near the front standing walls, also the only part of the structure that still had any of the first floor remaining. Clambering over the rubble and detritus, she went to the area, initially looking around for anything obvious. She saw a large bird cage with bent bars and the door hanging by only one hinge. There were some white feathers in the bottom. Looking up, she spotted a large wooden trunk sitting precariously over the edge of what had been the floor of a front bedroom; a style of large wooden trunk that looked to be very familiar to a witch that attended at Hogwarts.

She again cast the spell "Locate magicae" and she got an instant hit on both the cage and trunk.

"Gotcha. Now let me see what these are about, then I'll...Shit!", as she jumped out of her skin. A cat had jumped into the enclosed site, landing on the metal kitchen sink/draining board, causing it to echo around her.

"Fucking cat. Scared me half to death! Give a girl some warning, next time, you stupid bloody moggy!"

The cat in question was a female striped tabby in assorted shades of grey with a very unusual spectacle shaped, dark grey pattern around its eyes. It had paused for a few seconds upon landing before slowly walking over towards Tonks. It then sat down to observe the young witch.

"You're a nosey wee thing. Curious to see what I'm up too eh? Well, no food involved I'm afraid, unless you can find some bits of meat lying amongst the rubble. There should be a whole body's worth, I've been told. Anyway, you watch away. I'm going to be busy."

Turning back to the job at hand, Tonks raised her wand and cast a spell towards the first floor... "Wingardium leviosa trunk."... and the large trunk moved into the air, and being guided by slow movements of the wand, gently floated down to ground level, where it rested at a crooked angle on the rubble.

Tonks stepped forward, cast a second spell, ... "Alohamora" ... and heard the trunk's locks click open. She lifted the lid and cast her torch light spell then peered inside. The general mess of a temporarily abandoned teenager's trunk greeted her view, but the trained eye of the Auror Investigator quickly narrowed down what she needed to look at more closely.

Speaking aloud but quietly to herself, she said,

"OK, Dora. What you got here, then? Hmmm. ... copies of 'The Daily Prophet', so that's the definite magic link; blokes robes, so a wizard, ... red and gold...Gryffindor! What, by Merlin's pants, is a bloody Gryffindor doing in this place?"

After another rummage around, she spotted two things...a Quidditch jersey and a thick, woolly, maroon, Christmas jumper. Pulling the Quidditch Jersey out, she turned it round.

"Bloody hell!...No, it can't be!"

Tonks reached in and pulled the jumper out. The golden Gryffindor crest on the front of the jumper stood out plain as day but so also did the initials above it...H.P.

"Oh, shit! ...Oh, shit; oh shit; oh shit! ... Harry bloody Potter! FUCK!..."

"Yes, Nymphadora. You are correct. Harry bloody Potter."

Nymphadora Tonks jumped in shock for the second time in 10 minutes at the voice behind her; a very familiar voice that she had not heard for some years. She spun round and saw the person that matched the voice standing exactly where the cat had been sitting.

"Professor McGonnagle! What...what are you doing here?"

McGonnagle replied,

"Much the same reason you are here, I expect. Seeing what dragon dung a certain young wizard has got himself into this time." And indicating around her, she continued, "And by the looks of the scene here, it's the worst one yet!"

Coming out of her shock, Tonks asked,

"Professor, this is...this enquiry..it's being kept under wraps, secret hippogriff job. How do you know about this? And how do you know Harry Potter is involved? I have only discovered he was living here just right now."

McGonnagle gave the young investigator a frown before answering.

"How I know and how much I know will also have to stay 'under wraps' as you put it. Until I can confirm how loyalties lye, Ministry officials, Voldemort and his Death Eaters, Albus too-many-names Dumbledore and nosy young Auror Investigators can go whistle as can anybody else for that matter."

Yet another expression of shock crossed the young Auror's face, this time at the revered, strict old Professor's attitude and apparent disregard for authority and due process. After all, if anyone had a reputation for sticking by the rules at Hogwarts it was McGonnagle.

"Professor, I don't think you realise how serious this matter is. A young wizard has killed two people here by using magic. Separate spells, both powerful, blew these people apart along with the house. If this is Harry's doing he is in really deep..."

"I know what he is in and how deep, Dora. What I need to know is what is going to happen to the witch or wizard responsible? Arrest, investigation, cleared as a result or going to trial? ... or something else?"

"Well, yes. Arrest first, wand taken, then back to headquarters for interoga...uh... questioning, then whatever's next is not my decision."

A hard stare was watching Tonks every move, every statement and expression and that stare spotted the hesitation in Tonks reply.

"Not your decision, eh? Interrogation you were going to say. That's a Ministry word, Dora, not an Auror word. A slip of the tongue can reveal much. And where, exactly, is this 'interrogation' going to take place? In the Auror holding cells or elsewhere; somewhere well away from the proper judicial process, maybe? I know the Ministry more than you think, Dora. Are any Aurors actually going to be present when all this occurs, or is that too 'not your decision?' "

"Professor McGonnagle, I'm just an A.I. and the most junior in the office! I'm not an officer rank. I have no say in those decisions. They are taken way over my head."

"OK. Let me re-word my concerns. What are your orders about any potential suspect you find.?"

"Professor...I ... I am not sure if I can tell you that."

Now McGonnagle had had enough niffler-footing about and her Scot's dander was well and truly up.

"Nymphadora Tonks. I have taught you, both your parents and have remained good friends with them both. I taught and have a distinct dislike for a number of your still living relatives. I totally loathed your Black grandparents and have never hidden that fact from anyone. I am honest in my opinions. I have been Deputy Head of Hogwarts for 12 years and Head of Gryffindor House for 15, a member of The Order of the Phoenix since before you were born and which I understand from Dumbledore you are also now part of, with the distinct two main goals of once again defeating Voldemort and now protecting a certain young wizard no matter what. So, unless you tell me just what you and the Auror department's intentions are regarding Harry Potter then you and I will not be parting as friends. So I repeat; what's to happen with Harry?"

Dora Tonks was taken by surprise at the force and threat that was in McGonnagle's tone. Her former Professor was a formidable woman and an even more formidable witch, especially when riled. Her exploits from the times of the last wizarding war were stories of legend: taking on and defeating five Death Eaters on her own to enable badly injured Aurors to escape; leading the Order of the Phoenix follow up raid on a Death Eater stronghold and capturing another six of them; these were only two of many such tales told about the Hogwarts Deputy Headmistress. Many thought that her uncompromising demeanour at school was all that was left of her stubbornness and legendary fighting skills. No one disputed her past reputation and still tremendous skills at teaching transfiguration, but did she still have it?...still had what it takes to mount a physical, magical defence of Harry Potter?

"Professor, I don't doubt your loyalty to Hogwarts, your House or to Harry. But I too have loyalty to my chosen profession. I'm an Auror, official and sworn in. In fact, the youngest for many a long year. I might be daft as a brush sometimes and clumsy, but I do my job and I love it, but some how, I don't feel too bad telling you this. What my orders are have come from my bosses but they are not the Auror way of doing things. These orders have come direct from way high up in the Ministry. From above department head level. Shacklebolt and Madam Bones are furious. We have to arrest the 'young wizard responsible', their words, take him direct to the old dungeon court cells below the Wizengamot and...not to write it up, no notes, nothing. Just get him there, let the Ministry know and leave him there. Professor, the order had come with no name of a suspect attached to it, just 'the young wizard responsible'."

McGonnagle nodded.

"Hmm. I thought as much. Fudge and his dark cronies are out to disgrace Harry even further, on the back of the death of Cedric Diggory and the Triwizard tournament. Get him into Azkaban as quickly and quietly as possible, then Voldemort can have him. The Minister will make up some load of tripe to cover up what's happened to him. No more Harry so Voldemort can run supreme. Well, Fudge and his Death Eater backers can go jump in the dark loch. The giant squid can have them. ... Right ; decision time for you , young Dora Tonks. Harry has a strong self defence case to all charges. So, Who's side are you on? Ministry and authority and faithful to Dumbledore, or Harry Potter, the true Auror department, me and the greater wizarding world. Your choice. And while you decide, I need you to get in touch with Director Bones for me. I need to speak to her tomorrow, preferably somewhere away from prying eyes and listening ears. Let her decide where. But, go to her direct, do not go via Kingsley Shacklebolt. I admire the man and appreciate his skills, but I also appreciate his position as a very senior Auror. I do not want to put him in an awkward position. So, will you help?"

The quickly thought out demands of McGonnagle took Tonks by surprise. 'No sign of slowing down there', she thought. So she came to her decision.

"Professor, I will contact Director Bones and pass on your request. However, I will also tell her about our conversation. She is my boss and I owe her loyalty. Depending on what she does and says about your request, then you'll get my answer. Until then, I'll stay schtum about this and nothing to anybody else. OK?

"Fine by me, Dora. Get to Amelia Bones first thing in the morning. I know she is an early riser so anytime from 6am onwards. I will be in my apartment at Hogwarts. She'll get me there."

"Will do Professor and ...tell Harry he has people who believe him and believe in him. Me and my folks to start with."

"Thank you Dora. If I see him I will pass it on. He is ... somewhere.. in hiding. Give my regards to your parents. Now, I must be off. I am not as young as I once was and today has been rather hectic . I need some sleep."

Tonks placed a hand on McGonnagle's arm.

"Professor, one more question but not about Harry this time. There has been reports .. well, more rumours really, ..coming into the Auror office about .. about Sirius Black. Unfounded and strange rumours, that he was seen at both Hogwarts and Hogsmeade. I know what has been said about him, who doesn't, but he's my cousin of sorts, my mum's full cousin, and I was fond of him when I was younger. The rumours are also saying that he may not be the villain he has been made out to be. Do you know anything?"

"That, young Dora, will need to be a question for Dumbledore to answer. But what I will say is that I too have heard these rumours and...well, a little bit more, so let's just say that all may not be correct around the story of Sirius Black, mass murderer. In fact, a grave injustice may have been done. But ask Dumbledore. Now, I must go. But Dora, just you keep your mind open to everything you here and don't jump to conclusions about Potter, Black or anyone else. See you soon, ok?"

'Crack!' And McGonnagle was gone."

"Time you were gone too, Dora. " she said to herself. "But just one more thing and you have done what was needed."

Going to the trunk, pointing her wand at it, Tonks cast a reducing spell to make it and it's contents no bigger than a matchbox, then putting it in her pocket she nodded.

"OK. All done. Time to go."

And with a similar sound to McGonnagle, A.I. Tonks was gone, leaving #4, Privet Drive to its quiet eeriness .


	9. Chapter 8: The Truth About Harry

CHAPTER 8: The Truth about Harry's Childhood.

Professor McGonnagle did not immediately go back to Hogwarts. She had made a certain young wizard a promise and she had no intentions of breaking it, so when she apparated away from Privet Drive, she returned to her hidden island cottage. There, she found her niece in the kitchen brewing up a cuppa. She greeted her aunt with a smile, but to Minerva, somehow the smile seemed brief and a bit cold.

"Good timing, Aunt Minny! Want one?"

"Oh, yes please. Strong, black coffee..." and nodding at the bottle of malt sitting at the other side of the coffee caddy, said "... and put a decent dollop of that whisky in it. I need some dutch courage before I speak to Harry. I owe him that full explanation of his upbringing that i promised. That, my dear niece, is an explanation long overdue."

Meghan shook her head and answered, "You are reprieved until morning, Aunt Minny. Harry went off an hour ago. He is out for the count. I put some sleepy time concoction in with the pain killing potion I gave him so I doubt he will wake up this side of 10am. He needed to be resting for the repairs to his body to take proper effect and the best resting is sleep. And, on Doctor's orders, I would recommend you do the same. You look dead on your feet."

A very tired sigh, or maybe a sigh of relief, came from the elder witch as she dropped down into an armchair.

"To put it in Muggle terms, I'm knackered. My old bones ache, I have a thumping headache, I'm worried sick for Harry, I'm ... I'm feeling old, Meghan. I'm 74yrs old lass, and feeling every bit of it." McGonnagle paused for a few seconds before continuing, "Tell you what, cancel the coffee part of that drink you're pouring and double the amount of whisky, a bit of sugar and boiling water. A hot toddy is what I need. It will send me off very nicely. Best sleeping potion around, that one!"

The younger McGonnagle laughed. "Oh, I know what a hot toddy is, Aunt Min. Still a favourite of great gramps, that one. Swears by it. In the winter he even puts some cloves in it. 'Keeps the *kelpies* away' he says!" *(Mystical water horses)*. Meghan proceeded to mix the drinks and handed the toddy to her older relation. "Aunt Minny. While you were gone, I had a bit of a chat with Harry about his situation at his relatives. It took a bit of persuading, but he opened up some eventually about what his treatment and conditions were like. It was awful, Aunt Min, really, really bad. Harry was pretty much constantly physically and mentally abused, treated like a pariah. Made to work at cooking and other domestic stuff from a very young age, only about 3yrs old. He has been punched, kicked, slapped ... they ...they tied him to a chair and whipped him with a belt, Aunt Minny! He was only 6! All because he dropped a cup and it smashed. He had been doing chores all day long and he was tired, the cup slipped from his hand and those... those... evil bastards did that to him." ... " Harry, he cried Aunt Min. A 15yr old lad, Aunt Min, a 15yr old lad and he cried. I .. I held him against me for ages. He sobbed his heart out, Aunt Min. Really, really sobbed." ..."God, I hope you have those two burning in hell for what they did to an innocent child! OH! I forgot this bit! Harry was kept in a cupboard under the staircase. That was his room for 10yrs, a bloody old cupboard. Barely room enough to move around in. Harry, he never had a full meal, not one, till he went to Hogwarts. Only scraps and leftovers. He had to steal food to live, Aunt Min! How could anyone place a baby into the care of such people and leave him there for 10 years? How? I love you Aunt Minny, but .. but you were part of this. How could you let this happen? Why did you let Albus 'know-it-all' fucking Dumbledore do this?"

Minerva McGonnagle sat through her nieces' rant getting more and more angry and ashamed at what she had allowed to happen. Angry at herself, ashamed at what she had allowed to happen for so long and absolutely seething, boiling mad at Albus Dumbledore.

"Aunt Minny, Harry was driven to defend himself yesterday. He had no choice. He would have been killed by those vile Muggles; that was their intention. His injuries prove that. He did not kill them until he had received all those injuries. And do you know something else? While he was sobbing, he said he didn't even mean to kill them, all he wanted was for them to leave him and Hedwig alone. He just wanted to push them away. He needs us Aunt Min, but especially you. He needs you to fight his corner, no matter what. No one ever has."

Minerva McGonnagle had been hanging her head but looked up as her niece finished her tale.

"You are wrong on that point Meghan. There is one who has stood by him through thick and thin. Who trusts him and will fight for Harry against the whole magical world if need be."

Minerva saw that there were tears rolling down her nieces face, tears that were for Harry Potter. And then also realised that she herself had those same tears. She cleared her throat then took the first drink of her hot toddy and it was not a small one; she downed it in one. Putting the glass down, she looked at Meghan, then said,

" I have no excuses to offer and I will not even try to justify my inaction. I failed, Meghan. In every way I failed that boy. I trusted Dumbledore against my own initial judgement and the expressed wishes of James and Lily. I cannot take any of that back. Whether I ever get Harry's forgiveness ... well, even if I do I do not deserve it. I am so ashamed and so, so sorry. But i will tell you now, as God is my witness and on all the McGonnagle magic handed down to me, I will do everything in my power to make it up to him. Anyone out to do Harry Potter harm will have to get through me first. ... I have to go, Meghan. Back to Hogwarts for me. I have an appointment with a senior Ministry official in the morning, one I have known many years and hope I can trust. I will be back here by lunchtime at the latest. Tel Harry that I am ... No. That is my job, not yours. Just tell him I will see him at lunchtime. And Meghan, thank you. Thank you for everything. How you managed to get Harry to tell you all those things ... well, it is a gift. A truly special gift. And Meghan, you did right. Listening to Harry, cuddling him when he needed it, letting him tell you about his awful life. I don't know how you did it but it ..."

Meghan butted in.

"Trust and a willingness to believe him Aunt Minny. Harry has had no reason to trust ANY adult, magical or Muggle. But he wanted to trust, Aunt Minny, he needed someone to confide in. Why me? Well, maybe the fact that I am only 18 myself helped, he sensed my belief in him, I had come to him when he needed my skills, I mended his body and maybe he felt that by unburdening all his pent up emotions and horrible memories I just might go some ways to helping him mend his mind. He is a very frightened, mixed up, disturbed lad, more than anyone realised. So very close to breaking point, to a mental collapse. Aunt Minny, he needs our help and protection... and someone elses."

Minerva McGonnagle raised her eyebrows.

"Someone else? Who?"

"Do you know someone called 'Hermione'? Harry mentioned her, more than once."

"Ah! Well, as it happens, I do. She is that 'one'. The one who has stood by him, trusts him, believes in him. The one who will fight to her last breath for him. She is ... formidable when it comes to Harry Potter."

"Who is she, Aunt Minny?"

"She is the brightest, best, most brilliant witch I have ever come across. And when she stops doubting herself and does actually realise just how good she is, the whole magical world together will not even come close to matching her and Harry together. 'She' is Hermione Granger."

At a distance some 700 miles away, in Oxfordshire, that very same Hermione Granger was currently fast asleep in her family home, not long back from her family holiday. She was totally unaware of her close friends current predicament or indeed, even his whereabouts.

She was overdue to have gone to the Weasley's home, The Burrow, on the Devon / Dorset border, but she had received an owl mail from both her and Harry's friend Ron Weasley tellng her that there was a change of plan. There would be a few days delay. She hoped and presumed she would see her friends soon. .

Little did she realise that circumstances elsewhere would affect her life so dramatically. So, she slept.


	10. Chapter 9: McGonnagle's in Charge

CHAPTER 9. McGonnagle's in Charge.

At 8.30am, Professor McGonnagle was in her private apartment at Hogwarts, up and about , coffee in hand, awaiting a floo call from a certain Ministry department head. Sure enough, within minutes, green flames flared in the otherwise empty fireplace and the familiar voice of an old friend echoed out.

"Minerva, you there? You wanted a private word about something."

McGonnagle smiled. No morning pleasantries from Amelia. Straight to the point, as always.

"Alive and kicking, Amie. Come away through."

The fireplace flared once more, and out stepped a witch even more formidable looking than McGonnagle herself. Mid-40's, 5'9" tall, broad for a woman, thick, dark, shoulder-length hair with just a hint of greying, and extraordinarily, wearing a monocle in her left eye. A set of jet black, short cut business robes over a dark grey, muggle style trouser suit. There was no denying that Madam Amelia Bones, Department Head of the DMLE, cut an impressive and intimidating figure. To those that did not know her or got on her wrong side, she was downright frightening when riled. To those that did no her ... well, she was still downright frightening when riled. A powerful witch, highly proficient at her job, she was scrupulously fair in all her dealings. Listened to all sides of any argument and made good, clear, sound judgements on any evidence presented to her. She was also a firm, loyal friend and a brilliant boss. Getting to her position as a witch in a wizards world at her relatively young age took some doing.

"Morning, Minny. You look tired, luv. Long night and little sleep, eh? Know how you feel. Now, what can I do you for? ...And is that a spare coffee I see over there?", nodding towards the small dining table.

"Freshly brewed and poured, as you like it. Strong, black and three sugars. Fresh doughnuts from the Hogwarts kitchens under the food cover if you want one. Should still be warm. And they are rather nice!"

"Your a lifesaver, Minny! Coffee and doughnuts. You know me to well."

"You're habits never change, Amie. Now grab them and sit down. We have plenty to discuss about a certain 'incident' yesterday."

Both witches got themselves comfortable in the two large, muggle style, padded lounge chairs. McGonnagle started the conversation.

"I presume that you are fully briefed on yesterday's events at Privet Drive by young Dora Tonks and whoever else is investigating?"

"That I am, Minny. In fact, I read everything we have on the matter just before flooing here to see you. Kingsley Shacklebolt is the on the ground lead on this. Now, I am supposed to know about powerful magic causing explosions, death and mayhem al over the place, but how in blue blazes do you know about this? It is being kept under tight security on a 'who needs to know' basis and you, Minerva McGonnagle, are not on that list. So, spill. What's going on that I should know about? And where is Harry Potter?"

McGonnagle looked at her friend, although at this point her very professional opponent, for a few seconds before answering.

"As regards Harry, he is safe, recovering from injuries and out of harm's way. He is in good hands, Amie, the best. And ... unreachable. Sherlock Holmes himself would not find him. We both know he is ... involved ... in the incident yesterday and I will not try to deny my knowledge of what went on. How I know is another matter. I want to tell you Amie, but I am also honour bound to protect a badly injured, very frightened young man who I have let down badly in the past. A young man who has been abused, beaten and severely injured by his so-called relatives and guardians!"

"Minerva, you are flying a dangerous broom here. Harbouring a suspect in a potential murder case puts you in the frame for arrest and questioning. We are friends, good friends, but I will not put that friendship ahead of me doing my job. Where is Harry?"

"And I will not tell you. However, I will tell you what I know. What you do with the information will, I have no doubt, cause ripples way up the lines of the Ministry and even within these hallowed halls of Hogwarts. So, sit back and listen. This tale will take a bit of telling, it goes back 14 years."

And so Minerva McGonnagle told Amelia Bones all she knew about the life of Harry Potter up to the present.

_ HJP _

" ... So, that's it. Everything. Before Hogwarts, at Hogwarts and yesterdays incident as much as I know. I have not fully spoken with Harry as yet. He is not well enough due to his injuries, but I will hopefully, later today. Now you know why I will not be telling you where Harry is. There is far too much Ministry and Dumbledore involvement in his life and current situation, let alone that Harry is the now resurrected Voldemort and his henchmen's main target. There is so much that I do not know. Whole areas of Harry's life that have been hidden away from us, even from Harry himself, by Albus bloody Dumbledore. I trusted Albus, Amie, trusted him as the all knowing, perfect example of a strong, powerful, honest and kind man and wizard and Headmaster. Now, my faith and trust in him has been completely wrecked. What his ... devious machinations of Harry's life has done to that poor child is nothing short of disgusting and vile and it stops now. Harry is under my protection, Amie, and no one is getting anywhere near him... I have known you 35 years, Amie, girl, teenager and now the powerful leader of one of the most important Ministry departments. You have been my pupil, a confused young lady seeking advice from her former teacher, a fighter that had my back in a war, a woman thrown into having to care and bring up a child that was not yours. And you have done a damn good job at all of it. You have been my good friend for some 25 years and you have made a damn good job of that too ... but ... do not cross me on Harry's protection or whereabouts. I would not hesitate to defend that boy. And ... I do not want to lose a friend."

Amelia Bones had listened to McGonnagle for half-an-hour without interruption, a half hour that both astounded and shocked her in equal measure. Now she sat, contemplating everything she had been told, weighing up what she could do with all this new information, how she could progress a suspicious deaths enquiry beyond it's parameters, into the Ministry and to a certain Headmaster of Hogwarts school.

Looking up suddenly, she realised that her old Professor had moved over to her dresser and had now come back with a couple of glasses full of something stronger than coffee.

" I know it's still well early, but I think we could both do with this. Here." And handed her a glass. Bones took it gave a nod of thanks, and took a large swallow.

"What is going on Minerva? What is it that can drive long-time good friends to be contemplating a break-up of their friendship?"

"Bad decisions made by a bad Government; a conniving, delusional old man drunk on his own influence; and an evil, ambitious, wicked sorcerer that will not stay dead. Oh, and a few score of stupid followers that wish to rule over a bigger population with their bigoted old ways and customs. That will probably do for starters!"

Director Bones gave a short laugh.

"Good answer Professor. Ten points to Gryffindor!"

"Why thank you, Madam Bones. ... So, what are you going to do?"

"Think, Minerva. Think. And a lot if it. But, as for now, I will leave you and your charge alone. I have not been here, ok?"

McGonnagle nodded. "Haven't seen you in months."

Bones nodded. "Good. Right then, I'll be off. I'll be in touch. All I ask is you do the same for me." And the head of the DMLE threw the floo powder into the fire place, said "Bones manor", stepped in and was gone.

"Right! Now that's over, some breakfast!' thought Minerva McGonnagle. "Dobby?"

'POP'! And the eccentric, madcap elf appeared in her private quarters. "Proffy Cat Woman needses help from Dobby?"

McGonnagle seemed surprised and gave Dobby a wide-eyed look and asked: "What did you call me, Dobby?"

"Proffy Cat woman. You'se be a cat that can change to a woman who is a clever magic teacher. Dobby does right by calling you that? I call you somethings else?" asked Dobby.

"Ah! No, no; not at all. I like that. 'A cat that changes into a woman.' Yes. That sums me up nicely. Dobby, you can keep calling me that all you like. Now, can you get me some breakfast please, and none of this modern, healthy Muggle nonsense. I will have two fried eggs on potato scones, two square sliced Lorne sausage, black pudding and grilled tomatoes; and a pot of strong, black tea please. And I will have it here in my apartment. Now, after you have done that, can you go to my cottage and speak with my niece and Mr. Potter and get breakfast for them. Hopefully , after a good nights sleep, Harry will be ready to eat something. Are you ok with that? Oh, and tell them I will be back with them in a couple of hours. Certainly by midday. I just have to go fetch Miss ... eh ... something."

"Dobby can do that! Anythings for Master Harry and peoples who help him." ...'POP'!

'POP! ... "Morning Missy Meghi. I'se got breakfast for the great Harry Potter and youse!" said Dobby, excited at being back in the safe cottage. He had materialised in the kitchen, hot breakfasts steaming on Hogwarts crested plates. Healer Meghan McGonnagle was just putting an old fashioned whistling kettle on the old fashioned range, kept alight by a perpetual flame.

"Huh! ... Merlin! You made me jump, Dobby! ... I am not used to house elves never mind one as excitable as you! But, it is very nice of you to bring us the food." Replied Meghan. " Just put it there on the table." Meghan waited a few seconds, expecting a second apparition, but with none happening, she asked,

"Dobby, do you know where my aunt is?"

"Yes. Mees knows. Proffy Cat Woman said to Dobby to tell yous that she will be back here soon. She have to go do an errand to fetch something, but I'se had to bring breakfast first."

"Do you know what Au ... eh!...Proffy Cat Woman's errand is Dobby?"

"No, Miss Meghi. Proffy Cat Woman not tell Dobby. Only know she had to fetch something."

"Ok Dobby. That's fine. And thanks again for breakfast."

"You'se be welcome. Dobby needs go back to Hogwarts now, but just call Dobby if I'se be needed."... 'POP!', and he was gone.

"Hmm. Where have you gone, Aunt Minny and what have you gone to fetch?"

Meghan and the young troubled wizard in her care would find out in the not too distant future.

_ HJP _


	11. Chapter 10: The One He Trusts

Chapter 11 : The One He Trusts Above All Others

Cruickshanks jumped off the lounge chair he was resting on and shot into the dining room, then began pawing at the French doors to be let out. A surprised Emma Granger turned around, her eyes following her daughter's cat. She had never, ever, seen the lazy thing move so fast. "What on earth has got you all bothered, Cruickshank's? You don't move that fast even for food!"

However, Emma did move to the doors and peered outside. She saw a striped grey, tabby cat with most unusual, darker grey fur around the eyes, like square spectacles, sitting on the lawn peering pack at her. She looked down at her daughter's familiar.

"Well, now I understand. You have got yourself a playmate, or is she an admirer, Cruickshank's? Ha! Maybe a bit of both, eh? Well, I better let you out, I suppose. But you listen to me, just like I tell your mistress, my Hermione; no hanky panky, or if there is, make sure there is no babies. I am much too young to be a grandmother."

At that, she opened the door and looked back up , then made a small gasp and a step back in surprise. The grey tabby was gone, but in it's place stood a slim, tall elderly lady in witch's garb.

"Oh! ... OH! .. Eh, Professor McGonnagle! It is you, isn't it? I have got that right?"

A smile broke through the stern visage of that very lady. "I am indeed. You remembered, Mrs. Granger. I am impressed. It has been a few years since I was last here."

A matching smile came from Emma. " Well, you did make quite the impression back then. It is not every day that a genuine witch appears with a letter informing parents that their only daughter is also a witch and has been invited to a magical school in Scotland. Here was I thinking that Cruickshank's here had got himself a girlfriend, but it's you!"

"Sorry to disappoint both you and especially Cruickshank's. From a female cat's perspective he is indeed a very handsome tom cat, but I am here to see Hermione actually."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I am being rude. Please, come in, come in. Hermione is here but she is still in bed. School holidays and everything, and we are only a couple of days back from our own family holiday. Let me put the kettle on then I will go fetch her. She is not in any trouble I hope?"

"No Mrs. Granger, nothing like that." Said McGonnagle, with a shake of the head. "Well, not concerning Hermione, any way. One of her friends. I was hoping she may be able to help me out."

"My daughter holds you in high regard, Professor. I am sure she will help you. But, it must be serious if you need Hermione's help. I mean, you are the Deputy Head of Hogwarts, that's right, isn't it?"

"Correct Mrs Granger, but on this occasion I feel that Hermione's presence would be of great assistance. One very troubled young man needs her."

Emma Granger's eyebrows rose. "A young man? That can only mean one thing ... Harry Potter!"

Professor McGonnagal smirked.

"Ah! I see Hermione has told you something of Harry's ... adventure's .. then. He is a lad that seems to attract trouble, generally through little fault of his own. This time though ... well, I cannot say too much, I'm afraid, but I think the Muggle expression is 'in it up too his neck!' And then some!"

Emma frowned at her daughter's Head of house before saying: "Actually, I only mentioned it had to be Harry Potter because he is pretty much the only person Hermione talks about. She mentions other people, a Ron Weasley, his younger sister, I think, a Jenny is it?, other Weasleys, ...oh, and a Neville someone or other, you, of course, the headmaster, some man called Snap who she despises and the odd other person, oh, a Professor Lupin is mentioned as a fine teacher. But Harry takes up about 90% of her school conversation. Her closest, best friend. She is Harry mad. I suspect my daughter is harbouring a serious crush on her best friend but just hasn't realised it yet. She has mentioned some stuff Harry has done but not that he's a troublemaker. Considering how much of a stickler for rules she is, I cannot imagine her being friends with such a person!"

Minerva McGonnagle realised she had taken this conversation onto a dangerous path.

"Mrs. Granger, I did not say Harry was a troublemaker. He is anything but, actually. He is a lovely lad. I said was that he attracted trouble. Trouble seems to find him! He would rather avoid it like the plague and live a quieter life but for Harry it is not to be. He has a rather eh, ... prominent place in our magical society, an important place, but unfortunately, that place he occupies attracts many ne'er do wells. They see him as a challenge to their plans so seek him out to do him harm. The thing is, he is as brave as a lion, very protective of his friends and an uncommonly powerful young wizard for his age. He takes on any and all challenges head on. He is not the 'let's think this through before acting' type, more the ' let's smash through the door with a sledgehammer' type. That's where your daughter comes in. She is the restraint on Harry's impetuosity. She is a thinker, the brakes to Harry's thundering carriage. And... Harry trusts Hermione implicitly. That is why I need to ask if she will come with me now and if you will let her. Harry is in desperate trouble, a really bad predicament. He is not in any physical danger now, he is in a safe place known to only me and two others, but he needs Hermione. Needs her support, her reassurance, her calmness. Your daughter is the one thing in Harry's life that is good."

Both the women gasped as a younger female voice spoke from the kitchen door.

"What's Harry gone and done now, Professor?"

"Hermione! I thought you were still sleeping, luv!" exclaimed the elder Granger. "Did we wake you?"

An even more bushy haired than normal Hermione Granger stood in the doorway, still in her lightweight summer sleeping PJ's and barefoot with a large, ginger cat cradled in her arms.

"Hmph! No, but you might as well had. Cruickshank's here, jumped on my head and was pawing me incessantly. I heard voices when I woke up. And good morning Professor. It was your voice that sort of .. stood out. I would recognise your voice above a hundred others." Then in a desperate voice she added "Professor, what bother is Harry in? Is it Voldemort?"

"Hello Miss Granger. Sorry I have disturbed your sleep and your school holidays. And sorry you have had such a troubled awakening. But no, it is not Voldemort, in fact, not even close this time. It is other things and his relatives that have caused him problems. He has been injured but he ..."

"Injured! Again! Oh, Professor. How bad is he? Is he in St Mungo's?" Then Hermione turned to her mother. "Mum, I have to go, Harry needs me, he ..."

Emma went over to her daughter and held her hands.

"Hermione, calm down luv! Let Professor McGonnagle finish." Then turning to the Professor she said "Sorry, Professor. When it comes to Harry and bad news, Hermione gets a tad overwrought. Now hush, Hermione. Please Professor, finish what you were saying."

McGonnagle smiled gently at the two Granger women. "I know fine well Hermione's protective instinct for Harry and for Ron Weasley for that matter. 'Her two boys' as I have heard her refer to them. Now Hermione, Harry is injured, but not in 's. He is in very good hands at a little place of mine where he will be well treated and cared for. His injuries are serious enough but he is already on the mend. I have a very clever niece who is a very fine qualified Doctor and Healer. She has set him to rights. He is safe where he is and will come to no further harm."

The younger Granger was still not satisfied.

" Injuries? How bad are they? What spells or curses has he been hit with? Is he ... "

"None, Miss Granger. No spells or curses were involved at all."

That stopped Hermione in her tracks a few seconds before she asked,

"None! No spells. Well, what ... how ... what happened to him?"

"He was attacked by his Muggle relatives, Miss Granger. Beaten up and worse. Even his owl Hedwig was injured trying to defend him. Harry is in a bit of a state but he will heal. His relatives however, well that is another matter. Nothing against you Mrs Granger, but I cannot say much more, I'm sorry. But, I will ask again. Hermione, will you come with me to see Harry and Mrs. Grainger, will you allow your daughter to come with me. Hermione will be perfectly safe, I guarantee it. And I will bring her back to you safe and sound. "

"Of course I'm coming with you Professor. Mum, I have to go. I need to see Harry. Please, mum, you have to let me go to him!"

Emma looked between her daughter and the Professor, then said,

"Hermione, this should be decided with your Dad here. He needs to know about this."

"But mum, it is no different than letting me go to the Weasley's for the rest of the summer. I will still be away with magicals, but just somewhere else! Please mum!"

Professor McGonnagle returned to the discussion. "Mrs. Granger, I may have a solution to this problem. I can take Hermione to see Harry now, but I will bring her back this evening. We will update you as much as I can allow with your husband here. At least in that way Hermione and Harry will see each other. Other arrangements can be sorted out tonight. How does that sound?"

Emma again looked at both the witches in her kitchen for a few seconds. She saw the desperate but determined look on her daughters' face. She knew that no matter what she said, Hermione was going with the Professor. Not wanting to cause a rift between her daughter and herself, she nodded.

"OK. You can go. I will be letting your Dad know about this Hermione, but no matter what, you return here by 7pm, you hear? 7 o'clock tonight, then we will discuss this further. Professor, I trust you to ensure my daughter's safety and prompt return. And you, daughter, do not give the Professor any crap about having to stay longer or whatever. You do what your told, you hear."

Hermione beamed at her mum and hugged her.

"Thanks mum. I promise everything. Oh, I must go and get sorted. Give me fifteen minutes Professor. I'll be ready". And Hermione turned and ran upstairs.

"Thank you, Mrs Granger. She is in safe hands." Said McGonnagle.

Emma nodded. "I know. But nevertheless, I will worry till you get her back here. ... Professor, how bad is Harry?"

"He has received one serious injury and an assortment of other injuries of varying degree, but nothing critical. He has been lucky. All inflicted by his so-called relatives. But, as I said, all on the mend now, thank Merlin. He will be happy to see Hermione."

"I won't enquire anymore, Professor. In fact, let's get that cuppa made while we wait on her ladyship."

It took Hermione only a shade over her stated time before reappearing in the kitchen, fully dressed, small rucksack on her back, hair pulled back into a bushy ponytail

"I'm good. All sorted. I'm ready to go , Professor."

"As am I. Mrs. Granger, thank you again. This one will be back by 7pm. Now Hermione, take my arm. Have you accompanied anyone on side-along apparition?"

Hermione nodded but with a frown on her face, she replied:

"Yes, Professor, a couple of times now, and it is not pleasant."

The old Professor gave a small smile. "I wholeheartedly agree. More years than I care to remember doing this and yes, it is awful. But we have no choice. However, a pleasant thought for you. Mr. Potter is waiting at the other end."

A beaming smile lit up Hermione Granger's face.

"Yes. That is a pleasant thought. Thank you, Professor."

McGonnagle gave a nod to Emma.

"Once again, thank you, Mrs Granger. Ok, Hermione, we're off. Hang on."

And 'CRACK!' They were gone.

_HJP_


	12. Chapter 12: The Re-directed Enquiry

Chapter 12 : The Redirected Enquiry.

At Bones Manor, Amelia Bones was contemplating all that she now knew about the Potter situation. His orphaning, his illegal fostering out to his now dead Muggle relatives, his upbringing, the cruelty and abuse he apparently suffered at their hands, the attacks on Potter yesterday and his injuries, his self-defence and over-powerful use of wandless magic. Just some bits of his life up to the incident yesterday.

And the apparent abandonment to his fate by Albus Dumbledore.

And the complete overkill reaction by the upper echelons of the Ministry and why it was so intent on hushing the events up and unlawfully incarcerating the lad.

And the fact that he somehow, at aged 14, had to compete in the Triwizard Tournament supposedly for adult student only.

And what were dementors doing in Little Winging and who sent them.

'Hmm! I will have to speak with young Master Potter at some point and soon. But until then, I will have to widen this enquiry, but do it very low key. Too many people in high places could make this a tad awkward. And as my most senior Investigating Auror is a firm supporter of Dumbledore, this gets more bloody awkward by the minute. ... Hmmm."

Then her flue roared green and the very familiar voice of that very Auror echoed from her grate.

"Boss, it's Shackles. Are you there?"

"Yes. Go ahead what is it?"

"Boss, I'm at the office. The Minister is going ballistic back here over the lack of progress on the Little Whinging case. He needs to meet you ASAP ' or heads will roll', he said.

Amelia Bones let out a sigh. "OK, Kingsley. Thanks for the warning. I will be in soon. Let the Minister know. See you in about a half hour"

As Shacklebolt withdrew from the floo network, an exasperated sigh came from Amelia Bones.

"Bollocks! I had hoped for the rest of the morning. Oh, well. Better go and see what the stupid fool wants to know."

She grabbed some powder from the jar above the fireplace, threw it in and said, 'Auror Office, Ministry of Magic" And with a puff and a bit of magic she was gone.

_ HJP _

"Morning, Boss Lady!" said a bright and cheerful A.I. Tonks as Amelia Bones stepped from the floo. "Been waiting for you. Wanted to catch you before you had to see the Minister. Got some news that is fresh off the Muggle enquiry side."

Bones eyes widened. "Already? That was quick! The Muggles aren't normally that efficient. But ... not here. Too many ears around trying to get the juicy gossip. My office, 5 minutes, and don't rush. Need everything to look normal, even if they are not. Bring me in a cup of coffee or something. Oh! Avoid mentioning any names for suspects, ok? Keep your suspicions between us for the moment, ok?"

At a nod from Tonks, Bones rounded off, "Right, see you in 5."

Bones made her office to find her most senior Auror, Kingsley Shacklebolt , standing by the door. He gave her a nod with a "Goo, mornin' boss."

"Morning Shackles. And unless you have come up with the evidence to solve this Little Whinging nightmare, there is nothing bloody 'good' about it! ... Let's get in here. Brief me up on all you know that I don't. I want to stop that bloody whining old idiot upstairs in his tracks before he does my head in."

They both stepped inside her office, Kingsley shutting the door behind him. There was no need for any silencing spells or similar, the office being set up for those spells to kick in automatically when the door was shut.

"Right, Shackles. What you got?", as Bones settled behind her desk.

The Master Auror shook his head. "Not much more than last night. Tonks tells me she found an old trunk that had magic written all over it, a few battered old copies of the 'Daily Prophet', and a big bird cage that also traced magic. The contents of the trunk were a bit haphazard, nothing specific relating to anyone in particular but definitely a wizard. All blokes stuff. She's grabbed some bits for evidence and examination. Going to pass it on to the secret Squibb lot later, see if they can come up with anything. That's about it. Tonks has been up a good bit of the night but said she would be in later with a fuller briefing."

Amelia Bones nodded, but secretly grateful that Dora Tonks had had the sense to keep some information back from Shacklebolt, especially the bits about found clothing, white feathers, Quidditch strips with incriminating names and such. Until Bones could fully assess Shacklebolt 's loyalty, best he remain a bit out of the loop. She hated doing it, but the risk of Dumbledore or other Ministry officials finding out about Potter's involvement in the two deaths at Privet Drive by information divulged by anyone was high, so the tighter the enquiry the better.

"Thanks Shackles. And Shackles, if I am not mistaken, Dora is in already. Look!" And she nodded over past the Auror to look through the glass. Sure enough, there was Tonks making coffee.

"Get out there, Shackles, and make sure she brings me in a strong one. Then start putting together a team to do some intelligence work. Quiet, discreet types. There is something stinking to high heavens about this case and I don't mean the dead bodies! We do not want to set off alarm bells in other areas of the ministry. "

"Will do, boss. Catch up later."

Shacklebolt turned and went out, then a bellow across the main office was heard.

"TONKS! Strong, large one for the Boss, and be quick about it!"

Tonks needed no other coaxing, itching to tell her boss her news. A ten yard walk and one strong coffee later, Tonks was in the office with the door firmly shut.

"Right, Tonks. What you got for me?" asked Bones.

"It's not a lot, Boss, but quite important. I got this this from that young Copper I told you about, PC Tomlinson. He rang me earlier. He was called in first thing this morning before his shift time. Apparently, due to the two deaths at Privet Drive, the DCI (Detective Chief Inspector) in charge of the investigation had a 'pathologist', who I think is a blood and dead body specialist, take a look at the hand that was found last night. The results were tested and the blood on the knife is from two different people. One lot matches the body tissue and blood from the hand, but there are bits on the knife, 'residues' he called them, that are from someone else. Now this is the second important bit. These 'residues' are not from either the fat dead bloke, this Vernon Dursley, or from the survivor who is the son, Dudley. They belong to a third party. Someone not at the scene when we or the Muggle authorities turned up. More tests are going to be done on the samples they have got to see if they can come up with anything more. Now, the third bit of info is that the hand is definitely female, no doubt at all. Again, more tests this later on today to find out who, although they suspicion that it's the wife of Dursley senior. That's it Boss."

Madame Bones had listened with amazement at the information given to her. Two reasons. 1. That the Muggles could get all this information from blood and small bits of body; and 2. That the young Constable was willing to pass the information on to A.I Tonks.

" You must have made an impression on that young Policeman, Tonks. Information like that is kept hushed up normally. Any idea why the young Constable was called in? He seems a bit low rank to be given this information."

"Nothing definite, boss, but he is the only one that actually remembers speaking with this 'elusive' third party at the house, this kid. That was last summer. So I can only think he has been called in to give descriptions and stuff, so the update on the forensic stuff has been part of that discussion."

Madam Bones frowned. " Seems unusual, but it is a Muggle enquiry after all. Now, young Tonks, what have you promised or done with the lad that he rings you with all of this first thing?"

Dora Tonks smiled at her boss and replied,

"Not done or promised anything boss, honest. Gave the copper a bit of hope for a date, is all, and I wouldn't mind, either! He's a fit bloke and handsome. Proper bloke handsome, not some ponced up pretty boy. Bit of muscle, trim, cheeky grin. Just my type!"

Bones shook her head and gave a smile to her junior Auror.

"Tonks, anything in trousers is your type, or has been in the past! Mind you, I have noticed you have been running single for a bit. Anything I should know about? Anything bothering you? ... particularly something you can't or shouldn't speak with Andi about?"

The 'Andi' in question is the young Auror's mother Andromeda Tonks, a very good friend of Madam Bones from their school days some 30-odd years before and still good friends to this day. 'Andi' was Andromeda Black back then.

Tonks shook her head. "No, no problems boss. Everything's really good at the moment. The love life's non-existent but I'm ok with that right now. No grief, work is great and really interesting, I've not cocked anything up for a while and as a result Mr Shacklebolt has given me some different enquiries to be getting on with. Left me with my own responsibility for how I conduct them. I'm ... getting to grips with the Job now, ma'am, and I'm loving it. Like this Privet Drive enquiry. I know he is very much the lead Auror on this, but he has given me a chance to get really stuck in and given me the right instruction to make the enquiries we need for the case. My morphing abilities are not being used for much yet, but I think that will come in as I getter more experienced. Undercover and stuff. Really looking forward to doing more of that!"

Madam Bones smiled and nodded, before replying

"Well, you are certainly keen enough and the reports I am getting from other Aurors are putting you in a good light. You are still a bit rough round the edges at some stuff but you are developing your investigation skills nicely and being available for helping out at jobs is a good thing about you as well. Now, you can give this information to Senior Auror Shacklebolt, but still leave out Potter, OK? I want to see how far up the chain this information goes. It should be staying within the Auror department and the old invisibles downstairs for them to do their bit but let's wait and see. There is a leak somewhere. I need to know where it's coming from. I will speak with Shackles later. Now, off you go and well done. Let Shackles know if you need some time off for sleep. I authorise a night, OK?"

"Thanks, boss. Just might do that. See you later"

A quick nod of the head and Tonks was off.

_ HJP _


	13. Chapter13: Hermione Realises Her Feeling

Chapter 13: Hermione Begins to Realise Her Feelings

'CRACK!' The two witches appeared in the garden of the Scottish island cottage, glorious vistas of hills and gentle seas and colours all around them. The weather was lovely, bright blue skies and warm, with only the odd wispy cloud sailing by in the distance. The younger witch looked around her at the views, then at the cottage. She spoke first.

"Wow! Professor, where are we? This place is spectacular, the views … I have never seen anything so lovely!"

Minerva McGonnagle smiled and nodded in reply, then said,

"Miss Granger, welcome to my 'other' home, the one that no one knows about; my bolt hole in times of need, or in this case, in times of a certain young wizards need, a certain young wizard who cannot stay away from trouble even when he is away from school! Now, let's go in. There is someone I would like you to meet before we see Mister Potter. She is the Healer who has been sorting his wounds and other injuries and, it so happens, she is also my niece."

As they approached the door of the ancient ancestral cottage, it was opened for them by that very young lady.

"Morning Aunt Minny" greeted Meghan, cheerily, stepping out to give her aunt a peck on the cheek. "I heard you talking through the open window. I got your message from Dobby when he was here with breakfast that you would be delayed. He was very mysterious; said you had gone to fetch something. I didn't get that the someTHING was actually a someONE!"

"Ah!, that is because I didn't tell him what I was fetching was a person! I also had some other things to attend to. Well, time for introductions. Meghan, I would like you to meet Hermione Granger, one of my brightest young students and a close friend of the young man in there. Hermione, the Healer and Doctor I mentioned who has been taking care of Harry, my niece, Meghan McGonnagle."

The two young woman, not dissimilar in appearence, smiled at one another and shook hands.

Hermione opened up the conversation between them.

"Pleased to meet you, Dr. McGonnagle. And thank you so much for caring for Harry. If the Professor trusts you to both heal Harry's injuries and stay to care for him then that is good enough for me. Thank you so, so much."

"Doctor! I didn't expect that term from a witch; but please, it's Meghan from now on. I may be here to assist with Harry's recovery but it is in a very unofficial capacity. No one else actually knows that I am here. And, I am pleased to meet you too Hermione. My aunt and Harry have been singing your praises. In fact, I am quite jealous! Highly clever, magically powerful girlfriend of the famous Harry Potter. Lucky girl!"

That last statement is something that Hermione, definitely, did not expect, a total shock, and she blushed furiously.

"Oh! I'm …. Harry and I ….. we are not like that! Not girlfriend / boyfriend, I mean. We're really, really good friends, that's all, since part way through first year we have been friends and that has got better. I love Harry to bits but …. Well, like really good friends should, maybe like a sister and brother, I think, but as Harry and I have neither of those I can only guess at that, but no, definitely not as a couple. I mean, we haven't kissed or anything, not even close. I mean, Harry, he hasn't even hinted at him having any such feelings for me."

Minerva McGonnagle, remembering what the elder Granger lady had said only a few minutes earlier, smiled gently at Hermione's denials. 'Hmm. I think Miss Granger's mum may be right. Serious blush and multiple denials at the merest suggestion …. A bit more than a teenage crush, I think! I also think that she wishes that there had been some moves on Harry's part. Hmm! Maybe Harry needs a bit of a push, or Miss Granger does!'

"OH! Sorry Hermione." replied Meghan. "I thought, … well, … the way Harry was talking about you being close and … I just assumed you and he were an item, that's all. My mistake. …. Eh, but he is very fond of you, Hermione! Look, let's not talk about this anymore. My error. Let's get you in to see him." She turned her head to include her aunt in the conversation. "He is not awake yet which I am glad about, rest and sleep are the best things for him right now. He has suffered quite a bit of trauma, mental and physical, so needs to heal. Come on, in we go."

Meghan lead the way into the old, Scottish island style, kitchen come parlour; big old iron, cooking range being dominant sitting within a large stone inglenook. ### (( A recessed, very large open fireplace area rising above head height, set back off a the main room, sometimes with upright seating set back against the side walls within it. In this case, no seating, but a collection of pots, pans, cooking utensils, all hanging off the walls around the range.)) ### Also within the room was an ancient, dark wood, kitchen dresser with ornaments and plates on shelves and an equally as old, farmhouse style, table and chairs. The dark style of the place was made airy and light however, by the currently open very wide, stable type, kitchen door and two large windows either end of the kitchen. Light material, floral patterned curtains completed the décor, helping to give the stone-walled space a much brighter, less foreboding feel to it. All in all, a lovely room. There were two other doors leading off of it, either end of the opposite wall.

The old Professor said, "Miss Granger, the left door leads directly into a small porch then to a separate toilet, should you need to use the facilities. We will be going through to the right, into the living room. The bedrooms are on the other side of the cottage. Follow me."

McGonnagall lead the way. The living room was cosy with two well-stuffed couches and two matching chairs, both of which had footstools. A couple of small square occasional tables at either end of the couches with table lamps on, a waist high cabinet with glass doors sat against a wall, an ancient Grandfather clock against the opposite wall. A fire-place and chimney backed onto the wall where the kitchen inglenook stood. Behind one of the chairs was a ceiling-high, 8' wide bookcase stacked full of a variety of topics of books, from heavy going tomes on ancient magic through historical Scotland and the Islands to light reading Muggle thrillers and love stories. Over five hundred books, something for every visitor. Needless to say, Hermione's eyes went immediately to them.

"Oh Professor, what a book collection. Have you read them all?"

The Professor smiled. She might have known that her favourite star pupil would mention the books first.

"Yes, I have, at some time or another. Some of them not for many years, some only from a reference point of view if I have to recollect and old spell or refresh my views on something or other. The Muggle books I enjoy for a bit of escape and I renew them quite regularly. I haven't got around to that for a wee while, but I shall. And yes, Miss Granger, before you ask, you can help yourself and read what you like. But first, sit down. Meghan here will bring you up to date with Harry's injuries. She knows them better than me. Then we will pop in to see him, but I warn you, he is in a bit of a mess although, thanks to Meghan, much better than when he arrived."

Meghan dropped into her Healer/Doctor persona, briefing Hermione on Harry's condition as if she were briefing a relative or friend of any patient, keeping it brief and to the point. Hermione's face went pale went it came to the serious injuries of the stab wound, broken nose and knee damage, then went downright angry when the involvement of the Dursleys was mentioned. Nothing was said to Hermione about the now deceased members of the Dursley household. That would be for later.

Meghan led them through the door in the diagonally opposite corner to the kitchen door, which in turn led to a hallway with four doors off of it. Meghan went to the third door and opened it only a foot or so. She looked inside before opening the door further. Turning, she put a finger to her lips. She said to them, "He's still sleeping." then beckoned them on. The curtains over the window were quite a thin material so there was plenty of light in the bedroom, well enough for the battered features of Harry Potter to be visible and with the covers being partially turned down and him not wearing a top of any kind, the bandaging on his shoulder.

Hermione gasped and a hand went to her mouth, then whispered,

"Oh Harry! What have they done to you!"

And her eyes filled with tears as she walked over to her closest friend, whom she loved more than she had admitted to anyone, even herself. It was only on nearing him that the extent of his injuries was clear to her, the multi-coloured bruising on his face and chest, the swellings, the sling supporting his left arm. The lower body injuries were covered by the bedclothes. The tears poured down her cheeks. She didn't care that there were two other persons present in the room. As she looked down at him, Hermione reached over and brushed her fingers through his hair very gently, then leant down to him and kissed his forehead, then before lifting away, moved her lips lower and put them to his for a very soft, gentle kiss, their first. Then she whispered,

"You better get well, Harry Potter. You must, you here me. I don't know what I'll do without you."

She straightened up, looked at Harry again, then turning to the two McGonnagles, asked,

"He will get better, you're sure?"

Meghan nodded and with a gentle smile, moved over to Hermione, and wiped her tears away, then answered,

"Yes, he will, Hermione. He is already on the mend. He will be as good as new before you know it. How quickly depends on him and his body. From what I have heard, he is a very fast healer but also very impatient to be up and about. So, even if he feels he is good to get up, I need him to stay in bed to rest. Healing is one thing, resting up and regaining strength to move about quite another, so between us, we need to keep him in bed as much as possible."

"Huh! Yes, he is a bit like that." huffed Hermione in reply. "I have had three years of him getting injured and not admitting he's hurting; 'I'm fine, Hermione,' he says, 'I'm okay, Hermione', he says, when I know he bloody well isn't! But don't you worry, I'll keep him in bed even if I have to get in there with him and hold him down!"

Then she blushed and "Oh! I … I …. Oh, I didn't mean that like it sounded! …. Professor, Meghan, I …"

Both the McGonnagles smiled at her embarrassment.

"Don't worry, Hermione." said her Head of House. "I think we know what you mean. We all can assist at making sure he stays put for a bit, even if we have to use a sticking charm. I'll even get a certain house elf to help!"

There was some movement from the bed. All turning, they saw the badly injured young man move his head on the pillow, then his good arm moved across his body. Then a leg moved, but not the good one, the injured one instead.

"AGH!" Then a hiss from him followed by a mumbled. "Fuck! That hurt!" Then another. "Merlin, I ache everywhere!" Then his eyes opened.

"Harry!"

"Hermione? Is that you?"

She went over to the bed and leant down once more to within a couple of feet from him, so he could focus.

"Of course, it's me. What other witch would put up with you getting yourself all bashed up again."

"Hermione! You're here."

Hermione put her fingers to his hair again.

"Of course I am. Professor McGonnagle brought me here….. You are a pain in the neck, Harry Potter. Getting me all messed up gain worrying about you."

Harry brought his good hand to her face, rubbing his thumb over her cheeks.

"You've been crying! What's happened?"

Hermione sighed. 'You just don't get it, do you Harry?' she thought to herself. …. "You're what's happened, you idiot! You! That's why I have been crying. You have got me so worried about you ….. Why can't you stay out of trouble, Harry? Why can't trouble go find someone else to get injured, or stabbed, or .. or.. Oh Harry! It's you, you sod! I'm blubbering again!"

And sure enough, the tears began flowing once more. Hermione jumped up from the bed and ran past the two witches watching the scene and out of the room.

-HJP-HJG-


	14. Chapter 14: Anger and Upset

CHAPTER 14. Anger and Upset

"What have I done?" asked Harry. "I have just woke up. I .. I don't understand? How could I have upset Hermione?"

The two McGonnagle witches looked at each other, gave a slight small smile and shrug to each other, the looked again at Harry. The Professor spoke first.

"Meghan, you go see to Hermione, I will stay here and talk with Harry. Once she has calmed down, bring her back in. I have a notion that what is said in here Miss Granger may want to hear. Well, some of it anyway."

Meghan gave her aunt a nod. "Five minutes. She'll be fine."

Meghan went out into the living room and seeing no trace of the young witch there, continued on through to the parlour. Sure enough, Hermione was standing by the door, leaning against the door frame, looking out over the island to the glorious views away in the distance. She was sniffling, holding a tissue to her nose. Meghan walked over to her, placed a hand on her shoulder and turned Hermione towards her. Giving her a small smile, Meghan asked,

"Hey, do you want someone to talk to? Looks like you need it."

An initial shake of the head was Hermione's first answer, but when Meghan pulled her closer and gave her a hug, the sobs started again so she returned the hug. Meghan whispered,

"Hermione, I think my words to you when we first met just a few minutes ago, about you and Harry, are closer to the mark than you would like to admit. You and Harry may not be an item, but I think your feelings for that lad in there have overwhelmed you a bit. Have they hit you today for the first time?"

There was no answer for a few seconds before a small voice gave Meghan an answer.

"I … I don't know what I am feeling. I … I have loved Harry and Ron as my best friends for ages. But with Harry, he has so much on his shoulders, responsibilities, expectations from the whole wizarding world, but he is not even 15 till next week.…. It's not fair! I feel for him, I really do. Last year, nearly the whole school loathed him. He has been treated really badly by people he thought would back him; even most of our house, Gryffindor, treated him like a liar and a cheat. Yes, at times he got angry or really down, but deep down, when he is just being Harry, he is the sweetest, kindest, most generous boy you could ever meet. So protective of everyone really, especially his friends and …. Even more especially, me. Since back in first year he has been my knight in shining armour. I have seen him injured before, magically and physically, and I have been upset for him then, but the injuries have been as a result of magical attacks, but seeing him like he is, with those … those …OH! I cannot even say their name! ….His relatives, his mum's sister, having attacked him so … it makes my blood boil! I want to hex them into oblivion! But, seeing him all smashed up like he is, it … it… Oh, Meghan! I am only fifteen, but I love him so much! I think I have done for ages, but somehow, seeing him now …. " and the tears kept flowing.

The Head of House Gryffindor looked once more at her most troubled and sought-after pupil. Now that she was alone with him, what she saw made her want to hang her head in shame and at the same time fired her up to do better in the future. This 15yr old lad, well, 15 in a matter of days time, battered, stabbed, broken and bruised, already scarred up beyond imagination, brave, frightened, puzzled; a lad that the magical world either adored or reviled, praised or condemned, put on a pedestal or wished to grind into the dirt. He was a legend and a pariah in his own short lifetime. In the muggle world, the three 'relatives' that should have cared and nurtured him treated him abominably, no better than a starved slave. (Although not anymore, she knew). What he had been through already was more than countless adults went through in a lifetime. Well, it was stopping here.

"Mr. Potter …. Harry. First things first. Your injuries and the pain, how are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, Professor." Seeing his Head of House's sceptical look, he added, "I still ache everywhere, some bits more than others. If I move to suddenly my shoulder and knee create a bit. They are the worst. Move my head too much and my nose lets me know about it. Same with my ribs. I have a thumping headache, but if I stay still or only move gently, it is all bearable."

"OK. Do you need any pain relief, would a potion or two help?"

Harry frowned and when he spoke to her it was very evident from his demeanour and tone of voice that he was angry and hostile.

"No, because I don't want to be dozed up to go to sleep again. All this stuff happening around me and it's all about me and I want to know what is going on. I am not going to be treated like some little kid anymore. I cannot trust anybody to tell me the truth, except maybe Hermione. Oh, and so far, Doc Meghan. She seems good. She hasn't bullshi … lied to me or tried to deceive me. She was upfront about my injuries and … and … she listened to me about stuff that I have told no one before and that includes Hermione. Sorry if I don't include you on that short list Professor. You are letting me stay here and getting Meghan and Hermione and everything, but you haven't done much else over the years…. But, thank you for setting up Dobby with the knowledge of this place of yours. You and Dobby got me out the shit, at least for a bit anyway. And, I'm sorry if I am speaking a bit rude to you but it is how I feel. I'm hurting, I'm angry and just a bit fucked off with people hating me, lying to me, setting me up to get killed and just messing me about. I have enough problems with old Snake Eyes hunting me down without everybody else chucking in their four galleons worth as well!"

"I have no problems with plain speaking Harry. In fact, it is very useful in the right circumstances to put over one's feelings. Your plain speaking and attitude to me is …. understandable."

Harry lost it.

"UNDERSTANDABLE! YOU BLOODY WELL TOLD ME THAT YOU KNEW ALL ABOUT DUMBLEDORE PUTTING ME WITH THE FUCKING DURSLEYS! THAT YOU KNEW WHAT THEY WERE LIKE WITH MAGICALS! WITH BLOODY ANYBODY! THEY SHOVED ME IN A CUPBOARD TO FUCKING WELL LIVE IN IT. MY BEDROOM WAS A CUPBOARD UNDER THE FUCKING STAIRS FOR TEN YEARS. NO LIGHT. NO WINDOWS. THEY PUT LOCKS ON IT. I DID NOT EVEN HAVE FUCKING BED! I HAD AN ANCIENT, STINKING, FILTHY DOG MAT TO LIE ON AND A COUPLE OF WORN, THIN SHEETS. AND YOU SAY MY ATTITUDE IS FUCKING UNDERSTANDABLE? I HAD NO CLOTHES OF MY OWN. NO FRIENDS BECAUSE MY THUG OF A COUSIN AND HIS FUCKING GANG WARNED EVERYBODY OFF OF ME OR BEAT THEM UP, AND ME, IF THEY EVEN TRIED. MY, SO CALLED, AUNT AND UNCLE BEAT ME TO A FRAZZLE VIRTUALLY EVERY FUCKING DAY. I NEVER HAD A MEAL, NOT ONE. I WAS FED SCRAPS. I HAD TO STEAL FOOD TO LIVE. I HAD NOTHING. I HAD NO FUCKING LIFE! AND YOU AND DUMBLEDORE PUT ME THERE!"

'CRASH!'

A bedside cabinet with lamp on top flew across the room, smashing against a wall, the lamp shattering. The spare chair by the side of the bed took off as if by its own accord and hit the bedroom cabinet.

Hermione burst into the bedroom in shock and disbelief at Harry ranting at their Professor, but she had heard every word through the partially open door. She saw the rage in Harry and the shaking and his tears, she saw the anger and… his magic! It was emanating from him in a red and purple haze, the air pulsing around him. She saw the unlit ceiling lamp swaying as the pulses hit it. There were objects flying around the room. She saw the awe in the Professor's face at the sheer magical energy present. There was also fear in that face. Hermione was teary, again, but there was no fear in her. She knew Harry would not let his magic, even his uncontrolled magic, harm her. She went to Harry's bed.

"Harry …. Harry, please… please calm down. Your hurt enough, you're not helping yourself. Please Harry!"

She took the hand she could reach, the one in the sling. She grabbed his glasses from the floor then she got on the bed beside him and pulled him to her, taking his head in her hands and looking directly into his eyes. She felt him shuddering from the rage and upset that was welling up inside him.

"Shhh. Calm down, Harry. It's me, Hermione. I won't let anyone else hurt you, Harry. It's alright, there is no one here that will do you any harm. I am going to put my arms around you Harry, to hold you. Shhh! Calm down, calm down."

She placed Harry's glasses on his face then slowly put her arm around him, putting her hands on his back, drawing herself to him so as not to cause further harm to his injuries. She placed her head against his, all the while whispering calming words to him. Meghan McGonagle had rushed into the room behind Hermione. She had never in her life seen anything like she was seeing now. She was astounded. The magical power in that room could literally be felt in the pressure of the air, it was crackling with static.

As Hermione held Harry, slowly the magical tension in the room eased, objects that had been flying around dropped to the floor, onto the bed, gravity once more having taken over. .

"Good Harry, really good. You don't have to defend yourself here. There is only the Professor, Doctor Meghan and me here. Everyone here is on your side, Harry. No one is going to hurt you…. " The shuddering stopped and his breathing slowed. "…that's it, shhh now, your calming down. That's good, Harry. Easy now, easy."

Hermione turned and lent back against the headboard, bringing Harry's head slowly down to her shoulder. She nodded at the two older witches and mouthed soundlessly 'OK, he's OK'.

As Hermione held him, he could feel the rage leaving him, feel his calmer senses slowly returning, feel his magic ebbing, his breathing gradually getting back to normal. He could feel the closeness of Hermione and her calming influence, here her words of comfort. He felt safe and … felt some other feeling coming from her, a feeling he had not felt before. He looked up at the two witches in front of him, couldn't see the face he was looking for, but he felt her arms around him and her hand on the side of his face. She was there, holding him.

"Hermione! I'm …. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I …. I got angry and I lost it. Professor, Meghan, I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I frightened you. I didn't mean too!" Then he saw the mangled ruin of what was, a neat and tidy bedroom. "Oh Merlin! Did I do this?"

Professor McGonnagle was still shocked at what had happened. Only once before had she even known a wizard had such power at fifteen and that was only through word of mouth and record, she was not even born when it had happened. The historical pupil files about Hogwarts relate to an incident about Albus Dumbledore at the same age when he lost his temper with an older pupil, destroying a classroom with such an expulsion of magic as she had just witnessed from Harry Potter. Just how much power was in him?

HJP & HJG


	15. Chapter 15: Placing a Trust,

CHAPTER 15: Placing a Trust, Forming a Team.

Madam Amelia Bones had been signing off cases, progressing papers to be sent off for Wizengamot proceedings, and all the other bits of paperwork that was the standard operational stuff of the day. But her thoughts were really only on one thing. Well, several 'one things'. The Privet Drive investigation and how this had opened up a can of worms that had links to high up in the Ministry and Hogwarts School. A pile of 'one things' that led onto loads of others with the connection being Harry Potter.

She needed to be seen to be allowing her Investigating Aurors to do their job and for her to be not interfering. However, with her Master of Auror's, Robards, off ill and unlikely to return, she was keeping a closer than normal eye on things with unsolicited advice to her Captain being much more frequent. Her role as the Head of the DMLE was to assess the evidence presented to her in the case files, advise officers if more investigation was required, collate the final reports and make judgement as to the validity of any possible prosecutions and chances of conviction or acquittal. Then, in politically sensitive or highly controversial cases, where necessary, to report her findings to the Minister of Magic, currently Cornelius Fudge. This last bit, the reporting to Fudge, was to give the Minister the opportunity to 'advise and recommend advancement or changes to the enquiry's direction.'

'To stick his bloody nose into my departments business' thought Bones, 'and not get his or his supporters nose's put out of joint by anything that implicates them in criminality or negligence.'

But, to progress all these enquiries, she had to make the decision she did not want to make; Shacklebolt. She trusted the renowned Auror in his integrity, his efficiency, his ability to get the job done, but he had an unshakeable faith in Albus Dumbledore. She looked across the main floor to the office of her Captain. He was there talking with Dora Tonks ('Does that girl never go home!') and Christina Johnson, her second youngest Auror and, like Tonks, not long qualified as an A.I.

'Hmm! 'Tina Johnson. Now there's a thought. I wanted some new, fresh thinking on this job; 'Tina has shown to be innovative and thinks a bit out of the box like 'Dora. She has been a bit down since that cock-up on the Malfoy job and that wasn't really her fault. She made a sound decision based on the information she had but it was the information that was wrong. And that bloody information came from outside the Auror office, on purpose! Hmm. 'Dora and 'Tina. With a bit of close supervision, that could work."

Her mind made up, Madam Bones walked the twenty paces or so to Shacklebolt's office.

"Morning Shack. Dora, 'Tina . Shack, I need a word. As for you two, one hour's time, my office, OK?"

"Yes, Boss" came from both the young Aurors.

"Shack, with me."

Thirty seconds later, in the quiet and secure confines of her office, Bones spoke with her, up till now, most trusted and highly efficient Captain.

"Any updates on the Little Winging case, Shack?"

"Very little, Ami. The Muggles are back at the scene doing their bit. Forensic department are in taking samples and pictures. Local authorities are also there with gas and electrical suppliers checking out for causes of the explosion. No results, as yet, from our lot about any of the magical samples taken. I was hoping we might find a bit more as to who, exactly, the magical was that was living there. That a witch or wizard was there is beyond doubt, but that is it. The word from the Ministers department is that it is a young wizard, but where or how they have that information they are not telling us. My thoughts are that if they are so adamant that it is a case of underage magic gone wrong, or done deliberately, they must know as there will be the trace still on the magical concerned. If they are not sure, contact Hogwarts. Dumbledore or McGonnagle will surely have the details of every student there, name, address, the works. That would sort this out and get the suspect identified and soon apprehended. But, for some reason, my enquiries and requests are being blocked at every turn. I cannot go straight to Hogwarts myself, it's against regulations. I must go through the Ministry. The Ministry are making the excuse that it is the summer break for the school and its staff so no one will be there. It's weird."

Bones nodded. "Shack, what are your senses telling you? Any ideas?"

"Yeah, plenty, but all conflicting. The suspect could be somebody very well connected to a ministry official, maybe a son, nephew, maybe not a wizard at all; could be a witch and the hierarchy are trying to through us off the scent with all the 'arrest the young wizard' nonsense. And why the instruction to lock him up away from our normal detention rooms. The Wizengamot court dungeons? Why? Because, again, another angle to look at, it may be Sirius Black that did this. No bugger has known where he is since he got out of Azkaban. He has disappeared. So, where better than living in a muggle area, but somehow, it's all went wrong and he has murdered them. I mean, Black has got previous for killing muggles. Or, my third angle, it is someone else that is so high profile that the whole enquiry is being kept under wraps, so who? I joked back at the scene that it was Voldemort's son, but maybe I am not so far off. I haven't heard Harry Potter's name mentioned yet, but it probably will be. That poor kid is getting the blame for everything at the moment; the Diggory lad's death at that Tri-wizard Tournament at Hogwarts; the fact that he says that the Dark Lord has returned; you name it, Potter gets the blame. I don't know, Ami. This is a strange one. Someone, somewhere, with a lot of clout is pulling strings and I don't like it."

Bones nodded. "I agree Shack. A lot of 'pulling strings', as you put it. Thanks for your thoughts. ….. Right. What I am going to tell you is as a result of Dora Tonks good work at the scene and her muggle contact and me being able to talk to someone at Hogwarts." …. (A look of surprise came from her Captains face) …. "Yes, there is someone available at the school if you know how to contact them. I do and it is within my authority to do so as a Minister for the DMLE. As it is, I was actually asked to contact someone there. That person's request, not mine. That request came through Tonks."

"Tonks! Who the hell gave her that authority, to speak to a Hogwarts representative? That is way above her pay grade."

"Hold on, Shack. Dora is ok with this. She didn't make the contact, a certain person made contact with Dora and requested her, well, more like instructed her, to contact me. I then had a meeting with this certain person, who's name I will hold back for the moment. Dora has gone by the book, reporting the contact to me, what was said between them, the works. Anyway, as a result of … a conversation, let's call it, I have information to progress the Privet Drive case. But this information is highly sensitive and I do mean 'highly'. Anything that is found out by you and the team I am going to put on this comes to me and me only. No one else … and that includes the Minister, other Ministerial department heads ….. and others. So, I need a promise …, a binding promise, made on your own magic, Kingsley. The oath you made when joining the Auror department and the subsequent one on each of your promotions are not enough, not for this case. So, I must insist on the binding magical promise. No promise, you will not lead this enquiry, or be a party to it in any way. Simple as that."

Auror Captain Kingsley Shacklebolt was shocked to his core. He could not believe what was being demanded of him.

"Ami, … Boss, what is this? Don't you trust me or something? What have I done to be scrutinised so.?"

"This is probably thee most important case you or I will ever work on Shacks. It is a case that has the potential to ruin a number of very important figures in the Ministry, the Wizengamot and beyond. It is Azkaban territory for some. It will cause major ramifications for both of us, the Auror department, the DMLE. I need that oath from you now or you are out of the enquiry. Yes or no?"

"Woah! This is fast Boss, way fast. I need to make a decision now, right this minute?"

"Yes! Now, or I will take it as a refusal anyway and you are out the door."

There was a pause of a few seconds with both the very senior Auror and DMLE head staring each other out.

"What's it to be, Captain Shacklebolt? I need your decision."

A glare and a grunt came her way.

"Fine, I'll take it. But I want it noted that I am not fucking happy about this. I have a fine record of trust throughout my twenty odd years in the Auror Core. I have been loyal to you throughout. When this is over, I will want, I'll demand, an explanation and an apology. …. You can have your fucking magical oath but you and I, Ami … something has just changed between us."

"Captain Shacklebolt, right now I do not give a flying fuck what you think has changed. I am your boss, I make the rules. You are the best lead on a case this department has had in many a long year and that is what I need from you now. Your leadership. And it is Madam Bones until I say different. Now, wand out, and say the oath."

Kingsley Shacklebolt was angry but knew when to back down. He would comply with 'Madam Bones' demands, but a reckoning would come. He drew his wand then asked '

"What is the oath?"

Bones, with a quick flick of her own wand, presented the words shimmering in the air.

"I have it prepared. Read off the words."

Putting his wand point to his heart, he read the words aloud.

"I, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Captain of Aurors, swear by my magic that I will entrust all my or my team's findings in the Privet Drive, Little Winging case to Madam Amelia Bones and her alone. Any attempt to pass on any information to other parties will result in my immediate expulsion from the Auror Core, and loss of my magic. So mote it be!"

A silver blush of magic was seen to leave Shacklebolt's wand, swirl around his body and then enter both his chest and his head.

"You have got your fucking oath, 'MADAM BONES'! I hope your satisfied."

A deep sigh came from the Head of the DMLE.

"I'm sorry, Shack. Truly sorry I had to put you through that, you deserve so much better. But now you will know why. Sit back down and pin your ears back. This is one hell of a story and I don't even know half of it yet."

And she told him everything she knew on the case of an abused, neglected, orphaned child and his involvement in the two mysterious deaths by magic at #4 Privet Drive, Little Winging, Surrey.

HJP & HJG

A stunned Kingsley Shacklebolt sat in the chair, saying nothing, for close to a minute, a look of pure astonishment on his face.

"Now you know why I needed that oath from you, Kingsley. Under these circumstances with this information I had no choice."

"Merlin! ….. I was only taking the dragon piss when I said his name! .. Harry Potter! ….. Fuck! ….. Dumbledore! What by Merlin's name was he thinking? ….. Ami .., .. Madam Bones, apology and explanation accepted. …. My turn to say 'sorry' this time. … The dragon dung has really hit the wand with this case. Shit!"

"And Shack, it's still Ami when we are talking alone, Boss at any other time. You have placed unswerving belief in Dumbledore and his methods all your life pretty much. With your father's connections to the International Wizengamot, you have known the old coot since you were 5yrs old. Your father opted to have you educated at Hogworts instead of wizarding school in Jamaica. I am sorry I have blown apart your faith in him, but every word I have told you has come from Harry via my source, who is impeccable. Dumbledore, the Ministry and some others have a lot to answer for and I need you to lead the enquiry."

"Ami, your source. Who is it? Can you tell me?"

"I will Shacks, just not now. I made a promise …. Give me a couple of days. I need the OK from …. that person. I am not hiding any information from you, Shacks, you have everything that I have."

A nod of the head. Her Captain was back in play.

"Are we good, Kingsley? You OK, now?"

Shacklebolts beaming smile was all she needed.

"One question, Boss. Do you not think I am a bit high profile for the enquiries? I mean, I don't want to sound big-headed, but my reputation is a bit good. I get results."

"Shack, I said you will lead the enquiry, but you will be very much in the background; the two doing the probing are not 'high-profile' at all. In fact, they are outside waiting to come in here very shortly." And she nodded towards the window.

A quick look and the Auror Captain saw who she meant.

"You sligh old fox! I agree. They are good, Boss. For two inexperienced youngsters, they are really good. Haa! The Ministry will think we are giving a token effort to this. Put them off their guard."

"My thoughts as well. Let me give them a briefing. Then it is down to you how you want to run it. Get them in here, Captain!"

HJP & HJG


	16. Chapter 16 : The Truth about Dumbledore

CHAPTER 16: The Truth About Dumbledore

It took some time, but eventually Hermione Granger calmed Harry Potter enough where she felt his extraordinary magical power wane and fade away from both visible and physical sight. The shaking of his body and his tears stopped, the extraordinary colours of his magic ceased. She eased back from him, letting his head go back to the head- board, his shoulders propped up on pillows. The sweat was pouring from him, his eyes still wide and his expression still looking a bit frantic. Hermione still held his hand, but it was Professor McGonnagle who spoke first.

"Harry, it's ok. Everything is fine. The chairs, lights … it can all be fixed. Nothing is valuable. And … after everything you have been through and what you have revealed to Meghan yesterday, then in your …. chat with me, you have every right to be angry. I do not blame you one bit. The blame lies with me, if it lies with anyone. I allowed situations to happen when I did not stand up for you. As a good friend of you grandparents, your own father's Godmother, even from the point of view that Lily was one of my all-time favourite pupils, you were … are … James and Lily's son and I have let you down badly."

Harry and Hermione were both looking at their Head of House with some astonishment. Hermione, who knew much about Harry but not the whole story, said,

"Professor. When are you talking about? So much has happened to Harry."

"I promised you the truth, Harry, about Dumbledore's and my involvement in your fostering out to the Dursleys. If you are ready, well, this is the time. I was party to what went on that evening nearly fourteen years ago, as was someone else. Miss Granger is here to help you. Meghan is here as well. If you wish, both can stay, leave or either one, it's up to you. Or, if you are still upset at me, we can put this off to another time."

Harry Potter looked at his Head of House, currently his minder and protector. He so much wanted to have no more to do with her but somehow, even in his disturbed, confused and badly injured condition, he sensed that this was the time, the time he would learn what actually happened all time ago.

He looked at Hermione and asked:

"What … what do you think I should do, Hermione?"

"Harry, you have told Ron and I many times that you have wanted the adults in your life to be honest with you. Well, Doctor Meghan has been straight with you about your injuries and you have trusted her. Maybe it time for you to let the truth come out. I am here with you, I'm not going anywhere. I will keep you calm and comfort you if you need it. Please Harry, listen to the Professor. I think you need this and … I think that I need this too. It will help me understand all the more why you are the Harry that I … is my very best friend. It will help me figure some stuff out."

Harry nodded slightly at Hermione, then turning to McGonnagle, said'

"OK, Professor. I'll listen and I want Hermione and Doct …Meghan to stay. Both know quite a bit already, they may as well here the rest. I will try and keep my temper; Hermione will help with that. She knows how to calm me down better than anyone else. And Professor, I want to hear it all …. Please."

Magonnagle looked at the two other witches; a small nod came from both, followed by a "Harry will be fine, Professor." from Hermione. She saw that the young witch still held Harry's wand hand and had moved round to be right next to him leaning back against the headboard. She had a very brief thought. 'Doubt if he needs a wand from what I've seen and heard about him.' Then:

"Back to the night of the 31st October, 1981, then. Voldemort had been hunting the Potter family for weeks. He had already killed Susan Bones' parents, four members of the Bones' family, actually. …"

A gasp of shock came from Hermione, an indrawing of breath from Harry. …. "Oh, Susan" …. Said Hermione.

"Ah, I take it that neither of you knew this. Susan Bones father had been an auror but had progressed to being a senior Investigator, a very good one. Her mother was like you Hermione, a muggleborn. She was a very close friend, from school days and onwards, of Harry's mum, Lily. Susan was born only five days before Harry. Neville Longbottom was born the 30th July, the day before Harry. All three sets of parents were close, always visiting each other and letting Harry, Neville and Susan play together. There was a fourth family, close as a result of the mum again being friends since school with Lily and Neville's mum, that was the Greengrasses. …" Another gasp of shock from Hermione …"Yes, Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin. Her birthday is early in August. Miss Greengrass is the youngest in your year. The four of you children all had loads of time together as toddlers until a prophesy made by Cybil Trelawney was made known to Voldemort by one of his spies. Basically, that a child born as July was ending would have the power to vanquish the dark lord. Voldemort took this prophesy as genuine. Do either of you know about Neville Longbottom's parents?" …. Two shakes of the head. …. "Well, it is not for me to say. Both are alive, but that is for Mr Longbottom to tell, not me. So, Neville and his parents, Susan and hers, and the Potters, all targeted and attacked by Voldemort. Susan was not at bones Manor when her parents and relatives were killed. She was with her Aunt, Madam Amelia Bones, away from the house. Neville's grandmother, Dowager Lady Longbottom, is a very powerful and formidable witch as well as a very good friend of mine from our Hogwarts school days. She saved Neville and his parents from death, outfighting Belatrix LeStrange, no less, plus three other death eaters, killing one of them."

McGonnagle took a breath, then asked.

"Following me so far?"

A nod from everyone as a yes.

"Right. Needless to say, the Potters were next, and due to the fact that Harry's birthday is the very end of July, the 31st, you were target No.1. It is common knowledge, supposedly, that your parents went into hiding away from Potter Manor at ….."

Harry interrupted, asking "What is Potter Manor? I've never heard of it. All I know of is Potter cottage where the attack happened?"

McGonnagle was staggered and the look of surprise on her face was evident.

"You.. You have never been told of Potter Manor? Your family ancestral home?"

"No!"

"Oh my! Harry, the Potter family are a relatively new family in the magical world, only five generations, but the name is ancient indeed. It goes back some 1000yrs to my knowledge. Potter Manor was built around 450 to 500yrs ago, late 15th century. The Potters became very wealthy as a result of international trading, first in Europe, then the far east, then the New World. But the Manor was Muggle built, no ward stones, no runes, nothing magical at all. Over the more recent magical generations, some warding had been done on the place but nothing major. The Potters were not a warring family, had friends from all houses. In fact, the first magical Potter, your great, great grandfather, Henry Thomas Potter, was in Slytherin! His sister, Euphemia, was a Ravenclaw. Only your grandfather, Fleamont Potter, your father James, and yourself have been Gryffindors. Other extended members of the family have been in all four houses. As recently as in my time, your great aunt Rosina was a Slytherin and a very fine witch she is too!"

Harry looked at his Head of House Gryffindor in amazement.

"Did you say 'is'? She's alive?"

"Well … yes, she is. Very much alive, as far as I know. She is your grandfather's sister, aged 78 I believe. Lives somewhere in the south of France, nowadays. Her husband is a French wizard, a diplomat on the ICW, that is how they met. Rosina was working for the Department for International Cooperation, oh … some 50-odd years ago and they met at a conference. Now what was his name ….. Eh! …. Maurice Delacour! That's it. A very fine gentleman he is too. I quite took a fancy to him myself, but Rosina beat me to it."

Harry and Hermione were both shocked at hearing of Harry having other living relatives that he knew nothing about.

"Professor, why have I never been told this before? As far as I knew I was the only Potter left."

"AH! Harry, you are the only Potter left, but that does not mean you do not have other relatives alive, albeit distance ones, that are not Potters. I am sure your father had cousins living abroad. Your grandparents and James used to go to a property in France often; most summers and even some winters and spring for skiing. … Harry, give me time to find out more about your relatives. I have met them a number of times, but not since a good few years before your grandparents died. Let me get back to telling about what happened. Potter Cottage is a magical cottage from it's conception, with protection built into it; ward stones, runes, a fidelious charm at the time; you name it, Potter Cottage had it, so your parents took you to live there for safety reasons, away from Potter Manor. It had originally been gifted to your dad when he married your mum, so it was your family home in many ways. They did the right thing because, on the same night Bones Manor was attacked, Potter Manor was attacked and razed to the ground, literally nothing left apart from foundation stones. All the history of the Potter family, both magical and muggle, that was kept in the family library and grimoure, burnt.

We, that is the wizards fighting against Voldemort, thought you Potters were safe. You had every safeguard and protection that magic could give. However, just one man led to your parent's death and you receiving that scar … Sirius Black, your parent's closest friend. He was the secret keeper of the location of the cottage but, unknowingly to anyone, he was also a Death Eater. He …."

"No, he wasn't, Professor," interrupted Harry, who's temper was beginning to rise again. "and no, he did not betray my parents to Voldemort. He couldn't."

"What? What do you mean? He was captured for the offences and for killing muggles when trying to escape. He was convicted and sent to Azkaban. You know he escaped and came hunting for you last year!"

Hermione joined in at this point, as much as to keep Harry calm as well as helping to explain.

"Harry, don't get in a tiz again, calm down. Let me tell this bit. Professor, Sirius Black could not have betrayed Harry and his parents, you see, he was not the secret keeper of Potter Cottage and he was … in fact, still is … Harry's Godfather!"

"WHAT? …. But that means that he …

"Would have lost his magic and died if he had betrayed them. Sirius is innocent. We found out that information last year when he we helped him capture Peter Pettigrew. Pettigrew was the real secret keeper of Potter Cottage, not Sirius. Professor's Dumbledore, Snape and Lupin know all about this. And … Harry and I … we were the one's that helped him escape from Hogworts. On a hippogriff, the same one that we let go free from Hagrid's when Lucius Malfoy and the Minister cooked up a destruction charge on an innocent creature. Sirius flew free on Buckbeak and we helped him."

"By Merlin's magic, so THAT is what happened. This information has been kept so secret and there has been no rumours at all around the school. How did you do it?"

"The time-turner you gave me for my lessons. It came in very useful indeed."

"Merlin! That … that is some story, one that I must hear more of. But how did you get the idea to ….."

Harry cut in again. "Professor, can you finish up about how I ended up with my relatives. After all, that's what you promised. We can tell you about Sirius another time. "

"Oh … oh, yes! When you were left orphaned, Sirius had gone off after Pettigrew. Professor Snape was first at the cottage and alerted the Headmaster. He and I attended at the cottage with Hagrid. We did not know at the time what had happened; whether it was Voldemort, or Death Eaters, the Lestranges. We only knew that your parents had been murdered but for some reason you were alive but with that scar. We had to get you out of there. Dumbledore had Hagrid take you back to Hogworts for a while, for safety. Dumbledore knew of your only close relative, Lily's sister, Petunia Dursley. He sent me to observe them for a while. I spent the day there in my animagus cat form. They were the worst of people, particularly Vernon. Arrogant, bigoted, a bully but a coward, obese, just a horrible man. Petunia so hated your mother and anything to do with 'freaks of nature', as she called magicals. I warned Dumbledore against leaving you there, but he insisted and managed to persuade me that it was for your protection, that the familial blood bond would keep you protected. He added some other magical protections to the property before he had Hagrid fetch you on a flying motorbike from Hogworts to the Dursleys. We left you there with a note, in a basket on the doorstep. So, you were hidden from the magical world for the next ten years. All the stories about you, what happened that night at the Cottage, how you lived, were living in luxury, were a boy with special powers and were some magical knight rescuing young witches in distress, were all made up by the Ministry for the wider magical community. They gave licence for your supposed story to be told willy nilly. So, when you arrived at King's Cross station and onto the Hogwort's Express, then at Hogworts itself, that is why you were treated like some sort of superhero."

Hermione was shaking her head, in tears, but furious.

" 'The Famous Harry Potter, The Boy-who-Lived'. If only they knew how their hero had really been treated. How could you abandon a child, Professor, a 15-month old child, to such horrible people? It's … cruel and savage and …. and ….. horrible! How could you? He had been attacked and injured, his parents killed in front of him, with every chance he would still have been hunted down and attacked again! He had no protection against anyone, magicals or muggles! Professor, you … you …. OH! I am so angry at you."

Harry was in a rage, magic once more flowing from him, the air shimmering around the bed and loose objects beginning to rise. A tea- cup flew from the bedside table to smash against the opposite wall. All conversation stopped, except from him. His voice, kept under strict control but with the anger in him very evident, said,

"Best you all leave now, especially you, Professor. I do not want to hear anymore, not right at this moment. I need some time; time to … to … think all this through. I don't want to hurt anyone else. So go, now!"

Hermione still had hold of his hand, was still right next to him. She spoke to him quietly but intently.

"Meghan and the Professor can go, Harry. I am not going to leave. You will not hurt me, Harry, I trust you."

"Hermione, please! I don't want anyone here. I'm …"

"No chance, Potter. I am staying right here. You need me."

Then, turning to the two McGonnagles, she said,

"I'll stay here with Harry. Professor, Meghan, if you could go now, please. I know Harry. He is ….. unhappy at you, Professor and so am I. Right now, it is just best you go. Harry will not hurt me, no matter how angry he gets, so better me here than anyone else."

Doctor McGonnagle nodded her head, then turning to her aunt, she moved to her and placed her hand on her aunt's arm, saying,

"Aunt Minny, come on, let's leave, I think it best."

The senior McGonnagle sighed then got up. "Yes, I think it best too."

As both the McGonnagle witches reached the door, the Professor turned to her two students with a look of deep regret and sorrow in her eyes.

"Harry, I do not know if this is too late or if I will ever have your forgiveness, I certainly don't feel I deserve it. But …. I'm sorry, from the bottom of my heart, I am so sorry."

They left, leaving the two young Gryffindors to their thoughts.

-HJP – HJG -

Addendum: From Me.

Evening folks. I have written this, the first 48hrs or so of this story, with a lot of detail so I hope it hasn't made for slow going considering we have reached Chpt. 16. I needed to give detail so that you, and me, know where this is going. So, with Harry in deep dragon dung and in a very unforgiving mood, I now hope to speed this along.

Coming up, Sirius will be informed, the Weasleys, Remus and … Oh yes, old AD himself will find out. The dd will hit the fan at the ministry, McGonnagle goes ballistic at old Albus. Return to Hogworts, the gargoyle in pink, Fudge is a pain in the rear-end.

There will be a bit of romance down the line in this story, but not for a while. A Harry crush on an older witch or two will be there. (REMEMBER: A certain YOUNG witch is still older than Harry!)

The DMLE investigation unearths wholesale corruption, Tonks is a superhero, Moody is … well, Moody.

Ta much for reading and following/favouriting this story and for all the comments. I am seriously chuffed to bits.

Kindest Regards

Davinius G. Fogg (or David, makes it easier!)


	17. Chapter 17: The Briefing and Good Advice

CHAPTER 17: The Briefing and Good Advice

"Right, Briefing over." Amelia Bones said. "Thank you both for your oaths. If it is any consolation, I made Captain Shacklebolt take the same one and he has been in this department longer than you two have been born. That is how seriously I am taking this. Secrecy is imperative. Now, any questions?"

A.I. Christina Johnson was the first to answer.

"Boss. Not so much a question, but a thank you, for giving me my chance to run with this enquiry. After the Malfoy error, I thought I had blown my chances of being involved in any decent cases for some considerable time. So, to be trusted with an enquiry this big and involving such high-profile personalities, well, I'm a bit choked actually. I will not let you down."

Madam Bones smiled, but inwardly only. Her visage was its usual deadpan, serious self.

"Bloody well right you won't! Anyway, you will sit well with madcap Tonks here. Between her off the wall idea of looking at things and affinity for lateral thinking, then you; you're are a solid thinker, have good judge of character, a methodical way about yourself and your actions; you compliment each other very well and over and above that, you two get on well and you like each other. You have a good laugh with each other, I have seen you converse over work stuff, running facts of a case past each other to try and get a better angle on things. I have heard you both discussing both your successes and failures with each other, sussing out the other's thoughts on evidence, snippets of information, how you would have handled an informant differently. These are the things that a Captain and a Head of Department notice and want to see from their junior officers. Now, the Captain here has informed me that neither of you have had a pairing up with anyone in particular. He has preferred you both to do a bit of work with everyone, getting experience of good and bad ways of doing things. You are keen, quick on the uptake. You are overdue for a steady partnership. Well, now you have got one. You two will be the start of something a bit good and a bit different, I hope. Two young investigators, both witches. You will be frowned upon by many wizards who are old fucking dinosaurs that think that witches shouldn't even be in the Job, never mind pairing you up and there will be others that will look at you as two silly young tarts that are only there for a good shagging. Ignore them, they are not running with the times. There will be others who will totally disregard you as silly girls, they will chat about stuff that they will perceive as being way above your understanding and eventually forget that you are even there. Those are the one's I need you to listen to. They will eventually let slip that piece of information that you can use. Bits of information that will get added onto one piece, then another, until you have an inkling about what this case is all about. Building up pieces of a jigsaw, coming together to gradually make the whole picture. Now, I need the pair of you to be very subtle about the way you get evidence, be the young investigators that you are, keen as mustard and eager to show your Captain and the cranky old Head of Department you are good. Let it be seen you are in way above your heads, that you are way too inexperienced for this investigation. I need them to be taking the piss out of you, let them see you are pissed off about that. Lull them into a false sense of security. Dora, be the clumsy idiot that you can be, at times, but on purpose. Then, use your metamorph skills, change into one of the old codgers and sit in his or her's favourite chair in their secret clubs when they are not around. Do what you need to do!"

Tonks was shocked on hearing this.

"Madam Bones, you're serious? Captain Shacklebolt has had me keep a tight reign on my morphing abilities. Said I should keep them hidden."

"Yes, he did, on my orders. The true extent of your capabilities are not to be advertised; they are a precious thing for anyone to have and especially for an investigator of crime. But he has sought clearance at the highest level for your use of your skills for this job, namely, me! So, use those morphing skills, Dora, but chose wisely where and when. 'Tina, that's where you come in. You have a clever and logical brain in that head of yours. Advise Dora when and where to use her unique abilities. Good, old fashioned, solid investigating will work ninety odd percent of the time, so don't go on overkill with the disguises. Only when nothing else is working, OK?"

A nod from both her young Aurors was all she needed.

"Good. Any problems, queries, doubts, anything come and see me or the Captain, no one else. This is between us four." Then turning to her senior Captain, she asked, "Anything to add Shackles?"

The deep baritone voice of her acting Commander said,

"Nope, you said pretty much everything Ma'am. But you two, watch each other's back, … and be careful out there. This is dangerous territory we are wandering into."


	18. Chapter 18: Furious Uncontrolled Magic

CHAPTER 18: Furious, Uncontrolled Magic.

For Harry Potter, the aftermath of Professor McGonnagle's confession was hard to take. His anger and bitterness about what both she and Dumbledore had done with him as a baby was seething around his mind like a tsunami; wave after wave of unbalanced, vengeful thoughts of how he could get his revenge. His anger at McGonnagle, though, was secondary to the hatred of that man. The man that had perpetrated on him the worst act of cruelty, of imposing his will on others to get his way, to inflict on him an upbringing that was the worst of its kind, beatings, starvation, slavery, servitude, imprisonment, denial of his rights as a child. That imposed on Harry no kind of a life at all. The man who had left him at Privet Drive, without any kind of check on his welfare, for ten years. The man who, by saying nothing, had condemned his Godfather to twelve years in Azkhaban, thus denying Harry and Sirius the chance of a much better life together.

Albus Dumbledore!

Harry was barely aware of the presence of Hermione sitting next to him on the bed. She said nothing, but continued to hold his hands, to have her shoulder to his, to just be there for him, if and when he needed someone. His magic was still pouring from him, coursing around the room, the dark combinations of colours of black, maroon, deep purples and blues swirling around the bed like a night-time storm, the bright sunlight from outside barely penetrating the gloom. However, there were no flying objects this time, nothing travelling at speed that could injure a person. Hermione hoped that this may have been the result of her being present, that Harry, even in his highly emotional state, would not risk hurting her, but she wouldn't bank on it. She felt she was safe enough where she was but would not risk walking anywhere within the room …. Just in case. Hermione's own magic gave her the signs that there was a greater agitation building up in Harry, an explosion waiting to go off. How could she defuse him, bring him back to some semblance of control? …. Too late ….

A huge surge of magical power burst from the young wizard, a surge of power so great it blew out the side wall of the bedroom, taking the window, frame and all, along with all the furniture and remaining ornaments that were in front of it, turning it into splinters and broken shards, the whole lot ending up as refuse in the garden. Some of the stonework flew yards out over the boundary wall. Hermione screamed in shock, pushing her head and as much of her body as she could behind Harry, but none of the debris came close to her. The air around her was crackling, visible bolts of light shooting through the dark magic, all emanating from Harry Potter. His eyes were a luminescent green, but a very dark pond green, in keeping with the dark aura that surrounded him. This lasted for only a few seconds before Harry slumped against her, unconscious.

"HARRY!" The scream from Hermione was strident and panic-stricken. The door to the bedroom flew open and the two McGonnagle witches were about to enter, but, even before Hermione could do anything or before the other witches could get through the door, there was a 'POP' and a small elf wearing assorted socks and an oversized Hogwarts vest tied round his middle with yellow and red cord appeared at the end of the bed.

"Dobby feel strange things from Harry Potter. Even without saying Dobby's name, Dobby feel Harry Potter need him."

Then Dobby noticed the damage to the building and his eyes went wide.

"Huh! This be like the Winging house! When the great Harry Potter was attacked by his bad muggle peoples, Harry Potter blew away walls and peoples together. I have to get Harry Potter away like last time!"

Dobby went to grab 'his great Harry Potter' but was prevented from doing so by Hermione blocking his way.

"No Dobby, no. Harry is still safe here. He … he is just disturbed and angry and …. And ill! He is ill in his head, Dobby! He needs help and there is a Healer here, but he needs someone else. He needs Sirius!" Then turning to the senior witch in desperation, she asked,

"Professor. Please, I need Sirius here. Harry needs him."

Professor McGonnagle was shocked by the demand from her favourite pupil. "Black! Why would you want him here? How can he help?"

"Professor, just his presence will help calm Harry. Even unconscious, he will just sense Sirius' presence. He is innocent, Professor! Black did not commit the crimes he was shoved into Azkhaban for. Please, Professor. He would want to be here. They only have each other left. Harry needs his godfather here."

The senior McGonnagle thought for only a few seconds, then asked,

"Does Black have a wand?"

"I am not sure, but yes, he could have. Professor Lupin may ha ….."

"Remus! Of course. He would have gotten Black a wand. Very well, Miss Granger. But I will be ready for Sirius when he appears. His actions will determine mine. But he must not know where this place is. He can be brought here without him having any knowledge of my home."

"Thank you, Professor, thank you." Then turning to the house elf, she said, "Dobby, go find Master Sirius. Wherever he is, bring him here. You heard the Professor, just bring him here. Do not tell him where. You understand?"

A nod and a "Yes, Harry Potter's Miss Grangy. Dobbie find Harry Potter's Dogfather. I go now!" and 'POP!' He was gone.

While all this was going on, McGonnagle the younger had gone straight to the bed and laying her hands to Harry's head and chest, was assessing his condition for the cause of his unconsciousness, but she was staring in amazement at the hole in the wall and the complete mess that was outside.

"Hermione, what happened?"

Her aunt answered the question for her.

"A massive pulse of very powerful magic from your young patient, I'm guessing. Is that correct, Miss Granger?"

"Yes, Professor. Harry has said nothing in the couple of minutes or so since you both left. He …. He …. He was .. it was like he was breathing out magic! It was pulsing off of him, getting more and more agitated. The dark colours in the room, swirling around and in and out of each other, building up speed like you wouldn't believe. His eyes were a smouldering rage, this deep, deep green colour, then suddenly all the rage in his magic just blasted through everything over there, the furniture, the window, the wall! I …. It was so incredible but so frightening."

Minerva nodded, accepting the explanation, then she spoke to her niece. "Meghan, how is he?"

"Well, believe it or not. No signs of ill health or any worsening in his condition over and above what injuries he already has. Just exhaustion and a bit of magical shock from whatever it was he launched at that wall. It is purely as a result of his magical state and the physical trauma that he has already gone through the last couple of days that has rendered him unconscious. His brain has just shut his body down to protect him. Give it a couple of hours or so and he will likely wake up."

She paused for a few seconds, looked back at Harry, then to Hermione still holding his uninjured side and hand, then Meghan addressed both the other witches.

"I have never witnessed anything like this before, not just the now two visible examples of Harry's magical power, but him! Harry! According to all the signs I am getting from him through my magic, his core level is huge, and I mean immense! But it is fluctuating inside him like a raging torrent, ebbing and flowing through his body. It's as if the magic has just been released inside of him and he does not know what to do with it. His core level has increased since I first examined him yesterday, but not just to the sort of level that would have equalised his usable magic to what it was before the attacks on him, but it has at least tripled! His power levels are off the charts. This is …. He is ….. extraordinary! …. I think that is why he is unconscious. Harry's brain is working at an incredible pace to try and catch up with his magic, to try and understand what has happened, so it has shut his body down, basically disabled the switches that make it work, till it can cope again. A magical safety valve, basically."

"Well, thank Merlin and Mr. Potter's brain for that safety valve or I would have to rebuild more than a bedroom wall! Miss Granger, I am assuming that you are unhurt?"

"Yes, professor. Not a mark, but my heart is still going at one hundred beats a minute, I think! All this power, Professor, where has it come from? I mean, Harry has been no slouch in the defensive magic side of his schooling, better than most in the school even at fourteen, as you know, the power required to produce his patronus proves that, but nothing on this scale. This is frightening magical power."

The old Hogwarts professor shook her head, then answered.

"That I cannot even hint at Miss Granger, I have no clue. I will conduct some tests on Harry to try and get to the bottom of this …. Phenomenon …. because that is what it is, but I cannot do so whilst Harry is unconscious and certainly not without his consent. Enough damage has been done to him against his will, I will certainly not be going down that route ever again. And besides, I would rather not be on the receiving end of another uncontrolled magical outburst as has happened twice, now. He is angry enough at me as it is, and rightfully so, without him waking up to find me doing some sort of unsolicited hocus-pocus on his person. I would prefer not to be joining the wall of my home smashed to bits in the garden. We shall bide our time. Meanwhile, a cup of tea, maybe something stronger to calm my rather shot nerves, then I shall fix the afore mentioned wall and window. I may even think about a nice set of French doors for in here. The view is lovely, and Mr Potter here has given me the hole to put them in! I have wanted to change the furniture and décor in here for years so now is the opportunity. A wee shopping trip may just be in the offing and that is something I have not indulged myself with for some time."

At that, McGonnagle turned around and headed for the kitchen.

-HJP & HJG-

As Meghan predicted, the mixed-up magic within Harry began to slow, the pulses lessened, his core stabilised, but at a magical level way above anything that Meghan could accurately measure. She was monitoring him every fifteen minutes, always with her left hand on his head, but the right was placed in different places, his chest, his stomach, his arms and legs, giving her an assortment of magical measurements which she could compare.

The magical core of a witch or wizard always emanates from an area that was slightly below and behind the heart, hidden behind the breastbone, not easily accessible to a witch having to do magic with her hands and no wand. She could not 'pull' the core levels out with a spell, she had to take the time to lay the hands on and allow for the levels to flow into her own core, in that way she could get a direct comparison as to how much her core level would rise from the magic flowing into her. What this method did do, though, was give her highly accurate readings of not just the core condition of the patient, but the magical transfer flow of magic around the patient. This allowed her to even judge the abilities of the magical being she was examining, as the greater the speed of the flow of magic around the patient's body increased the power and abilities available to them. Meghan had experimented over the years that her healing magic was available to her and found that she could not only get the variety of magical signals from assorted parts of the body, but the strength and speed of the magic flow from the core was clear to her.

In Harry Potter's case, she was stunned by its speed, strength and intensity! His magic was at a high, pure level that she had never, ever came across before. It was also so dense, his blood stream and whole body thick with magic, his magic pulsing at a rate that was beyond even her incredible abilities to judge. When she laid her hands on Harry, for the minute or so each time, her own magical core was literally feasting on the boost in power and information that was gushing into it.

"His system is slowing Hermione, the surges from his overactive magic is easing down but the actual power in his core is increasing, if anything. But there is something else, something I cannot put my finger on. The only way I can explain it is ….. wait a minute." Then she raised her voice a little and turned her head towards the door. "Aunt Minnie, can you come in a minute, please?"

The Professor came into the room with a tray hovering behind her with a pot of tea, cups, saucers, a plate of biscuits, milk and sugar on it.

"Was just on my way, good timing. Help yourselves." As the tray was settled onto a still upright cabinet. "Now, what can I do for you?"

"Aunt Minnie, I need some wand magic. It won't be till Harry wakes up and we ask him if it is alright. If he is dubious about you doing the spell, maybe Hermione could do them if you show her how. The spells I need are for you to test his core for any restrictions or bindings on his magic. Anything that has been there or still is there. Is that possible? It is something I cannot do with my hands."

"Well yes, there is spells that can be cast on a person for such a reason, but why on Harry? His magical power is huge, you said so yourself! His magic is certainly not bound."

"Aunt Minnie, I am not so sure. The sudden, involuntary outbursts of his magic, his core fluctuating although at a high level, his apparent inability to control the outbursts when they do happen, then slipping into unconsciousness; these are all signs of instability in his core. It's as if his system is unbalanced, large chunks of magical power that has been in him a long time suddenly pushing out and he doesn't know what to do with it. The fact he is very upset and angry, under serious stress and trauma, this is all a contributary factor in the breakdown of his mental state and therefore in these increasingly powerful rages he is having. But, by past signs, powerful for his age as he is, he has never had this amount of power to be able to blast out walls, do bombardia and multiple spells together, all without a wand!"

Now it was Hermione's turn to be shocked. Of course, she still knew nothing about Harry's use of the wandless spells he used to defend himself, to demolish Privet Drive and kill his relatives; or, for that matter, the Petronas spell to fight off the Dementors in Little Whinging.

"What wandless spells? Are you saying he actually cast wandless spells somewhere, not just these explosive magical rages?"

Minerva nodded at the young witch.

"Yes, Miss Granger. Harry intentionally used wandless magic before he was brought here by Dobby. And highly powerful wandless magic, I might add. But, before you start firing off a hundred questions a minute, that is not up for discussion at this moment. That is for Harry to tell you when he is able and willing. Right now, let us hope he will come too soon. We both want him recovering and conscious."

Now the circumstances of why he was brought to this unplottable and inaccessible cottage began to make sense to Hermione.

"Professor, just one question. Is his use of these spells part of the reason why he has been brought here, to where you say he cannot be found?"

"Yes, Miss Granger, that and ….. other reasons, all tied in together."

Hermione sighed. "Oh, Harry. What have you done?"

_HJP & HJG_


	19. Chapter 19: The Return of the Dogfather

CHAPTER 19: The Return of the Dogfather.

About 15 miles into the woodlands to the south of Loch Morar, deep in the hills of the west Highlands of Scotland, many miles off the beaten track, there lies an ancient old lochen called Meoble. It has been there since the ice ages of many millenia ago. Small and very well hidden, on very odd occasions that there is a heatwave in that area of Britain it almost disappears through evaporation, but, with the ever-regular high rainfall of the area coupled with the late spring snow melt, it is soon replenished.

Only a hundred yards or so above its banks, on a steep hillside, there is a cave of small proportions, at best 30' deep by 25' wide, with an entrance measuring no more than 8' high by only 6' wide. The entrance was well hidden by shrubbery and silver birch trees. It had been used in the past centuries as a shelter by brigands, persons on the run from the authorities, by travellers and hikers who loved the out of the way places and needed shelter from the elements or just a sheltered, dry floor for the night. The interior of the cave was always dry, no rain penetrated through to the cave interior, the rocks outside the cave entrance being lower than the cave floor itself. However, it had been many, many years since anyone had found it or used its rough but welcoming environs. Even when persons got close to it, trying to find this elusive place that was shown on their Ordinance Survey maps, somehow or another they always got distracted and went on their way, forgetting all about the reasons they were there in the first place. It was if someone had put a spell on the place so it would not be found.

This is where the house elf Dobby apparated too, his third port of call, in search of the elusive, escaped convict and alleged mass murderer, Sirius Black, and his now ever present and sole companion, Buckbeak the Hippogryph.

The cave itself and its immediately surrounding area for hundreds of yards around was a place was soaked in magic, but very subtle, barely detectable, magic, giving the current occupants of the hidden cave plenty of warning of approaching magicals and muggles alike. But this very subtle magic also gave signs to the occupants that it recognised the magical signature of the person or persons that had arrived outside the cave entrance, so magicals that had been there before were, for want of a better word, 'vetted' as to their good or bad intentions. In this case, Dobby the house-elf was definitely 'vetted' into the 'good guy' category.

Harry Potter's Godfather was an 'animagus', a magical that was able to turn into an animal-form alter-ego, albeit he was an unregistered one.

A large, black, rough-haired dog and the Hippogryth appeared from the trees above and to the left of the cave. They both recognised the little elf immediately. A bark and a whinny of greeting welcomed the elf and then the transformation of the animagus dog to the afore mentioned Sirius Black was virtually instant.

"Morning Dobby." Came the cheerful greeting. "What brings you here to my palatial accommodation. Harry send you, did he?"

"No, Master. Dobby be here 'cause the great Harry Potter's Miss Grangy and Proffy Cat Woman sent me to fetch Harry Potter's Dogfather. Harry Potter be in big trouble, injured and much pain, sir. Miss Grangy say you should come with Dobby right away. He's be needing his Dogfather."

Sirius' jolly welcoming mood vanished immediately.

"Where is he, Dobby? I will apparate to him now!"

"No sir, Dobby cannot say. But I's can take you there. You apparate with Dobby. That way you not know where I be's taking you. Proffy Cat Woman need place kept secret."

"Proffy Cat Woman! ….. Ah! McGonnagle! Good name Dobby, but the bloody witch is getting as paranoid as Mad-Eye!"

Then turning to his very large, feathered companion, he said,

"Buckbeak, I have to go. Feed where you like but keep yourself hidden. Hopefully, I will be back soon." Then, placing a hand on Dobby's arm, said, "OK little fella. Take me to my errant Godson."

HJP & HJG

Minerva McGonnagle and her niece were sitting outside the front of her cottage, enjoying, as best they could under the circumstances, the warm summer sunshine. Up here in the northern-most Hebridean islands when the sun did shine it was truly glorious but even during these very long summer days, with the unpredictability of the Atlantic winds, the weather can change in a matter of minutes. The two witches were discussing the crazy happenings of the last few days and hours, whilst awaiting the arrival of an old Marauder. Minerva, with her wand in her hand, was bringing her niece up to speed on the head of the Black house and giving her a few words of warning.

"Sirius Black is an old rogue, a prankster and an absolute charmer! He was the biggest conquerer of virgin witches at Hogwarts this side of Casanova. Whether his long years in Azkhaban have changed him, well, time will tell. But he never could resist a pretty face and you, my dear niece, definitely fall into that category. So, watch yourself around Black! He can turn the charm on in an instant and you can fall for his wiles before you know it."

The younger McGonnagle raised an eyebrow.

"Aunt Minny. Black is now what? …. Forty years old? Not that old, I'll grant you that, but not young, and with all those years in prison, particularly one that makes Peterhead Prison (Scottish high security establishment) look like a Kindergarten, he is hardly going to be much of a looker or a charmer now, surely?"

"Meghan, any person who still has the 'nouse' to escape from Azkhaban after 12yrs in there and do what he has managed to do since in staying many steps ahead of the Auror Corps is one person who definitely still has his wits about him. He is a few years short of forty yet, Meghan. Thirty-five I put him, but I do not underestimate Sirius Black one bit. And neither should you. If he still has one ounce of his former char …"

"POP!"

And the arrival of one house elf with the very man they were talking about interrupted their conversation. The two figures appeared facing away from the house, looking out over the neighbouring islands. Before either of them could turn around, Minerva, making no audible incantation, made a quick movement with her wand and the 'protego' charm put up a shield spell.

"Good Morning, Lord Black. I never thought for one minute that I would see you here on my island."

Sirius spun around, his wand springing out of an arm holster into his hand, but, before he was even full way around or even had a chance to properly grip it, two 'faster-than-the-eye-could-see' wand swishes lowered the shield, pulled the wand from his hand in a silent joint 'expelliarmus/accio' spell, and his wand came sailing from him and into the hands of his old Gryffindor Professor.

"Bit slow, Sirius. Ten points from Gryffindor! And again, good morning Lord Black."

The afore mentioned Lord Black had a look of shocked surprise on his face at being bested so easily but smiled, nonetheless. He went to step forward but came up against the shield charm that he had not even noticed being put on again.

"Quick as ever, I see, Minerva. Lost none of your skills in your advancing years."

"Another ten points from Gryffindor and a detention for your cheek. My skills have diminished not one bit, but you seem to have lost that suave charm you once had in abundance, Sirius. Insulting your host, particularly one who has bested you so easily, is not the way to go."

A bark of a laugh came from the Lord Black.

"Touche, Minerva, … sorry, … Professor. You are probably right, but I have not been around anyone for quite some time that would have kept my wit, charm and reflexes as sharp as your magic. I have, as yet, actually had little reason to brandish my new wand in anger at all. I have practised on trees, rocks and various other inanimate objects with only the occasional animal to kill for food. My magic is still intact, remarkably, just not with the expertise of my younger years. But, with practise, I hope to at least give myself a chance in a fight. Now, to the formalities. Let's see if I can, at least, rescue some of my reputation as a Lord of these magical British Isles. Good Morning, Lady McGonnagle. And, …. Minerva ….. it IS good to see you! And to the lovely young lady standing next to you, …" as he turned his eyes to Meghan, …. "and a sight for starved eyes she surely is, a good morning to you too." And he took a small bow towards her but never taking his eyes from her face.

"HAH! Out of practise, my arse, Sirius! Once learned, never forgotten, you old rogue. Well, you are out of luck with this one, my Lord Black, she has been well warned about your charms. Lord Sirius Black, meet my niece, Doctor and Healer Meghan McGonnagle. Meghan, the one I warned you about, Harry's 'Godfather' apparently, Sirius Orion Black."

"Miss McGonnagle, and I surely do hope it is Miss, very pleased to meet you indeed. I would kiss your hand but somehow I am being prevented from doing so by a bit of magical shielding."

Meghan had been watching and listening closely to the interaction between her Aunt and former pupil. Despite the cautious demeanour her Aunt was displaying, she could see that with the sparkle in her eyes and the wordy fencing between them, the old witch was thoroughly enjoying herself and the same seemed to be true of this Lord Black.

"Good morning and pleased to meet you, Lord Black. I have been … informed …. About some of your previous … 'misdemeanours' I think would be the correct word, .. in a past life and I think my Aunt is purely protecting my reputation from such a charming man as yourself. No slight intended, I'm sure."

Another 'bark' of a laugh came from the man.

" 'Misdemeanours' they are being called now! Minerva, what have you been telling the girl! Only 'misdemeanours'! You used to call me and my actions much worse. I am sorely slighted that you have raised your opinion of me!"

Now Minerva laughed.

"Sirius, I have misjudged you. Your reactions may be crap, but your tongue and wit are as sharp as ever." Then she became very serious … about Sirius! "Now, formalities over. I have your wand, Sirius, and you are going nowhere. I need to confirm a few things first. That old coat of yours, take it off, then roll up your left sleeve. I am hoping I see nothing but dirt. Anything else, I will not be impressed. I think you will get my meaning."

Now this time, Sirius Black was shocked … to the core.

"What?! You want to check if I'm a Death Eater! You must be fucking joking!"

"PETRIFICUS TOTALUS" The old witch showed her mettle by paralysing Black immediately. Meghan McGonnagle was agog, never before seeing her Aunt treat anyone this way.

"Aunt Minny, what are …."

"Until I confirm matters one way or the other, Meghan, please shut up and do not butt in again. The last I heard of this man, he had escaped Azkhaban where he had been incarcerated for life for multiple murders and other serious offences. I am not about to trust two of my students, who may or may not be correct in what they say but who are in my care, who unfortunately have been let down badly by adults they should have been able to trust, including me and Lord Black, here. So, yes, Lord Black, I am checking to see if you are a Death Eater. My island, my home, my rules. If you don't like it you can, in your language, fuck off! .. Now, do you understand? Blink once for yes, two for no? …. Ah. Good. You do understand. Now, up you get! Levicorpus! …. Good. Well, now that you are hanging upside down, pulling your coat off is an easy option."

With a quick flick and small swish of her wand downwards and a ''Descendo coat" incantation, Black's coat was on the ground. He had, in fact, a short sleeve shirt on which made the viewing of his un-branded left arm forearm as clear as day. A muttered "Revelio death Mark" and a spell to reveal anything hidden on the forearm revealed nothing. Minerva's eyebrows raised.

"Well, contrary to everything I and many others have heard about you, Sirius, you definitely are not a branded Death Eater. 'Liberacorpus'."

Sirius was turned back to head up and lowered to the ground.

"Sirius, I have charge of two students here on my island and until I am certain you offer them no threat, I have some questions I need to ask. The reasons I have had Dobby bring you here are relating to Harry Potter. Now I am going to release the spell on you but head only. You can speak but not move. You threaten me, my niece or my charges and you will be obliviated and out of here quicker than you can spit. Now blink once for yes, twice for no. My island, my rules. Do you understand? … Ah, Good."

And with a small movement of her wand Black's head was freed.

"Minerva! Have you gone fu…guh!" His speech was silenced.

"My rules Sirius. You agreed. Answer only my questions. You can bawl and shout all you like later. Now, first question: Who are you in relations to Harry Potter?"

A furious Sirius Black wanted to tell his former Head of House Gryffindor where to shove her questions, but with her in this mood and frame of mind and him wandless and helpless he deigned to answer. He would have it out with her later.

"I am his Godfather. Was made so on magical oath by James and Lilly Potter the day after he was born."

"If that is true, you could not have betrayed the Potters and Harry in particular. Were you their secret keeper of Potter Cottage?

"No, I was not. It was changed on the 24th October, 1981, to Peter Pettigrew."

Minerva's eyebrows raised again. "Pettigrew was killed, along with 12 muggles, allegedly by you, not long after the Potters were murdered. Did you do these crimes?"

"No, Minerva, I did not. Pettigrew murdered the muggles, turned into his animagus rat form, and disappeared."

"Why were you arrested, tried and convicted and sent to Azkhaban?"

Black's barking laugh came forth.

"That, Minerva, is where you are mostly wrong. Let me speak. Yes, I was arrested at the scene of those murders. I was insane with grief about what had happened to the Potters. I thought Harry was dead as well. You see, Minerva, I was the first to arrive at Potter Cottage, not Snape or anyone else. I saw James and Lily dead, Harry in his cot with blood streaming from his head and 'dead', or so I thought. I knew that only Pettigrew could have betrayed them to his 'Dark Lord'! I was sick with sorrow. I had not protected them, Minerva. Me, their closest friend and trained Auror, had not protected them. I would have died for any and all of them. I went after Pettigrew to kill him, but he framed his own death by cutting off a finger, killed the muggles himself and left me implicated as the culprit for all of it. For betraying the Potters, for killing him, for killing the muggles. So, as I confirmed to you, I was arrested, but as regards the rest, that is where you are wrong. There was no investigation, no charges, no trial, nothing. I was thrown straight into Azkhaban on the orders of the then Head of the DMLE, Barty Crouch Snr, and the Minister of Magic Milllicent Bagnold. I am an innocent man, Minerva. I could have no more betrayed and harmed the Potters than have betrayed myself. I would be dead even if I had tried."

McGonnagle was astounded. She knew what her two students had told her but to hear all of it and more directly from Black himself was a revelation.

"No trial! Sirius, this is unbelievable. How come everyone believes you guilty? Why have you not done anything about it before now? Why did Harry not say som … Oh, Merlin! He didn't know!"

"Very few knew, Minerva. Very few. But I will tell you who did …. Albus fucking Dumbledore!"

"What? Albus knew all of this? But why did he do nothing all these years?"

"That is a question I would like to ask him personally. His 'for the greater good' will not wash with me, Minerva. Not anymore. That devious old bastard hides far too much. My Godson has been put in danger his whole life because of that conniving old coot. It is time he was called out for it!"

"Sirius, how do you know that Albus knew all this information?"

"The night that they changed the secret keeper from me to Pettigrew. It was my idea to my deep regret. I thought I was too obvious a choice, but Peter? You know what he was like Minerva, you were his head of house for Merlin's sake. He would be the last choice anyone would take to be a secret Keeper of anything! He was a coward. But against James and Lily's wish for me to remain their Secret Keeper, Dumbledore agreed with me. He backed my idea. He persuaded James and Lily. He was there the night it was done. He was there when James and Lily made their Last will and Testament, giving Harry to me to be his guardian if something happened to them. If not me, then the Longbottoms, then the Bones', then Amelia Bones herself. Our close- knit community of friends. But what Lily was adamant about was that Harry was not to go to the Dursleys, to her sister. Lily knew what they were like. Minerva, Dumbledore was there when all this was discussed and not only that, he signed the document as their witness and as Head of the Wizengamot. He knows I could not have betrayed them, he knows it had to be Pettigrew, he knows I was imprisoned without trial as an innocent man. He was the Head of the Wizengamot, Minerva. He would have conducted the trial if there had been one!"

Minerva McGonnagle was shocked to her very core.

"Sirius, if you are correct, there has been a grave miscarriage of justice carried out here against a Magical Lord of the Realm, of one of the Ancient Houses. And against a child, an orphaned boy! I was one of those who took Harry to his relatives, who allowed him to be handed over, but I did so in good faith although against my own thoughts on the matter. But, all this by persons of high authority and position. But Dumbledore! I … I cannot understand it. Why?"

"Because he is Albus bloody Dumbledore and he thinks he is always right! Or even when he isn't, he just does it anyway to suit his own plans! I said it earlier, Minerva, he is a conniving, manipulating old bastard and he has never stopped his plans for Harry and Voldemort! Whatever he is up too it is putting my Godson in grave danger time and again. He has to be stopped."

Minerva McGonnagle turned to her niece and asked,

"Meghan, I am inclined to believe him. What about you?"

The younger with nodded.

"Me too. Lord Black's story has the ring of truth to it, Aunt Minny. It also has similarities with what Harry told me when he was upset. There are too many coincidences for some of it not to be true."

The senior McGonnagle nodded the turning back to Sirius, said'

"Sirius, I am going to release you, but I will be keeping your wand …. for the time being, anyway. I hope I am in a position to return it to you fairly soon. Agreed?"

A nod from him. "Agreed."

"Very well. 'Finite Petrificus Totalis' ", and a wand swish later and Sirius staggered forward a couple of steps before regaining his balance.

"Merlin, Minny, you are getting as bad as old Mad Eye. Suspicious of everything and everyone .." and as McGonnagle went to say something, Sirius held up his hand and continued " … but, as I was answering your questions, I had a chance to think. Yes, my old Professor, this old Marauder can do that, on occasions. I can't say I blame you overmuch for your reactions to me. You, and pretty much everyone else for that matter, have little reason to believe any other story about me other than the one you have been fed the last 13 years or so. Well, I hope I can prove my story to you. But first, where is my Godson? Where is Harry?"


	20. Chapter 20: The Dogfather & Prongslet

CHAPTER 20: The Dogfather and his Prongslett.

Slowly, Harry Potter came out of his self-induced, brain-induced stupor. He felt like he had been put through a wringer; he was initially lethargic, his thought processes not seeming to work in any semblance of order. His eyes were heavy, not wanting to open. Then he heard his name from a voice he recognised.

"Harry! Can you hear me?"

His eyes popped open and his head turned towards her, away from the hole in the wall.

"Hermione!"

"Well hello, sleepy head. Welcome back to the land of living."

"It's bright in here! Where is all the light coming from?"

Hermione gave a small smile, pointed past Harry, then said,

"Ah, well for that answer best you look the other way towards the window."

Upon doing just that, his own eyes opened wide in amazement at seeing the gaping hole where a wall once stood.

"Merlin, what's happened?" Then turning back to her, he said, "Has there been an attack on the place?"

"Well, you could say that, but not from outside. If you notice, all the rubble has gone out the way. The 'attack' on the wall came from inside."

Then it dawned on Harry what exactly Hermione meant.

"Oh shit! Did I do that?"

"Language Harry! And yes, you did. And scared the living daylights out of me in the process!"

"Oh Merlin! McGonnagle will be well pissed off with me now, with me punching a large hole through her house. As if she wasn't already with me losing my temper with her. Shit! Sorry Hermione! Have I injured anyone, you, the Professor or Doc Meghan?"

"No Harry. Everyone is fine. Harry, do you not remember doing this? You were conscious when it happened although in a rage. You didn't black out until after the wall was smashed."

"No Hermione, I don't remember a thing about this. The last I remember was losing my temper with the Professor. That's it. How long was I unconscious?"

"A bit over three hours Harry, so not that long. Between losing it with the Professor and blowing out the wall was only a few minutes. Five at the most."

"How can I not remember that when I was still conscious? How can I not be aware that I actually had the power to blow out a wall without even casting a spell? That's scary, Hermione! I could have hurt someone unintentionally. What if I did this at Hogwarts or the Burrow or Diagon Alley? With loads more people about. And why is it happening to me?"

At that moment both the younger and older McGonnagles were entering the room and heard Harry's statement. Harry got his answer to his last question form his Head of House.

"That, , is what I am hoping to find out. With your permission, I will use a bit of magic, a bit of diagnosis from my niece, here, all with a bit of help from this old mongrel!"

And a beaming Sirius stuck his head around the door frame, saying,

"Hello, Prongslet. Hello Hermione. Nice to see some of you young ones are upholding the 'getting into trouble' tradition!"

There were looks of surprise on both the young couples faces. Harry spoke first.

"Sirius!"

"Yes, very much so! Always 'Sirius' me! Now just what by Merlin's grey beard have you been up too, Harry, that gets you all banged up and injured? … ". There was a pause as suddenly his eyes widened as he realised the state of the wall. …"Fuck! .. oops! Sorry all. Ten points from Gryffindor, eh Professor? You mentioned that Harry had a couple of magical mishaps Minerva, but when you told me about the bedroom wall I didn't realise you meant the whole wall! Bloody hell, Harry, you do not do things by halves! Well, I see the hole but what is holding the building up?"

McGonnagle Snr answered:

"A transfiguration spell of some complexity, Sirius. I have basically made the air that within the hole solid, but not with a freezing spell. In that way we can see out through the air as if nothing was there, but the elements cannot get in and nor any other unwanted inhabitants see back through from outside or penetrate either. Rather clever, if I say so myself."

"Well, twenty points to Gryffindor, Professor. That makes up for the twenty you took from me!"

He had moved to the bed and ruffled Harry's hair then bent over to give his Godson a hug. "Good to see you, pup, even if you are in a sickbed. Now, what in Merlin's name have you been up too to get all banged up like this. You are in a bit of a mess. Oh, wait a bit." Then turning to Meghan, Sirius said. "Miss McGonnagle, I am presuming that your presence here and being a Healer and Doctor. You will be the one that has fixed him up and set him on the road to recovery?"

Meghan smiled. "Yes, it was me. My aunt had Dobby bring me here right away, earlier yesterday. Harry was badly injured; stabbed , battered, bruised and a bit broken in places. All on the mend now though. He is a remarkably fast healer. But, at least a week more of bedrest when he isn't scaring the living daylights out of us all by powerful magic!"

Sirius looked in shock at what Meghan had said.

"Stabbed? Who the fu …. in Merlin's name did that?" Then turning to his Godson he said "Harry?"

"Better sit down, it takes a bit of telling."

And so, the full story was told. Everything.

_HJP & HJG_

"Great job, Prongslett! Well done. And Minerva, Meghan, oh, and to Dobby too, wherever he is, thanks to you all three of you. This Old Marauder is in your debt."

A certain young witch's reaction was somewhat different. Loudly different.

"GREAT JOB! SIRIUS, ARE YOU SERIOUS! GREAT BLOODY JOB! HARRY WAS ATTACKED AND BADLY INJURED BUT HE HAS KILLED THE PEOPLE RESPONSIBLE! THERE ARE NO WITNESSES! YOU KNOW WHAT WILL HAPPEN. THE BLOODY MINISTRY WILL TRY TO PIN THE WHOLE LOT ON HARRY, SAYING IT WAS TWO MURDERS!"

"Whoa! Calm down Hermione. There is a witness, Harry himself. Victim and witness rolled into one. Trust me. Harry can be accused all he likes but proving it is an altogether different matter. The truth of the matter is in Harry's brain. Veritaserum will soon reveal that Harry is telling the truth, the whole incident laid bare for all to here and all that is needed is a pensieve and Harry's memories and the investigators will see it clear as day too. And as if that wasn't enough, there is the evidence of the injuries Harry received. Minerva was here very quickly after Harry arrived here, she saw and can give witness to the state of him, as can Meghan as a professional witness, a Healer who treated Harry's injuries. There is also no independent witness' to say to the contrary, and Harry's attackers can't say sod all against him, can they? Oh yes, and another thing, it will be straightforwardly simple to cast a spell to actually show that his injuries were not magically inflicted. No magical residues at all. Muggle inflicted."

Minerva then added, "I like your thinking, Sirius. Also, there are no spells in Harry's wand that were cast at Privet Drive, I have already checked. He used his wand for the Patronis charm against the Dementors, but that was the last one in there. The other two spells that killed the Dursleys were involuntary, wandlessly cast spells in order to defend himself when he was attacked. He was already seriously injured, in pain, under stress, having been further threatened by his aunt with more of the same to follow. His magical familiar, Hedwig, had been injured in defending him. The magical world places a lot of stock in the connection between a witch or wizard and their familiar. All this, Miss Granger, is excellent reasons for no charges being brought against Mr Potter or an acquittal on the grounds of self-defence. The DMLE has no case to prosecute Harry."

Hermione's answer to all this conjecture was a very straightforward one.

"Oh, is that right! No case to answer! Well, my answer to your answer is simple. There was no case to answer against Sirius either and look what happened to him!

Sirius was the first to come with a reply.

"Hmmm, good point, Hermione."

Then Minerva came back with'

"There are a number of things that are very different between Harry's situation and yours, Sirius. Back then, everyone knew of the state of the Black family history and it's predominantly pure blood thinking and its alignment with the Dark factions of pure-blood priority over anything else; you were set up by Pettigrew to take the blame and you weren't thinking straight to defend yourself; crooked and bought senior Ministry officials made the decisions that ended up with you being thrown into Azkhaban the way you were, and …. You didn't have the current, incorruptable Head of the DMLE batting for our side. Amelia Bones is as straight and thorough as any a DMLE chief has been in many a long year. She'll see it through, particularly when she finds out that she should have been Harry's guardian all these years. You and Amelia, Sirius, if my memories serve me right, were in the modern parlance, 'an item' in 1980/1981. You were Harry's Godfather, still are, Amelia was named as one of four potential guardians for Harry. Protecting Harry would have drawn you two even closer instead of the way things turned out with her a grieving sister landed with bringing up her orphaned niece and you in Azkhaban. When she gets all this information, Ami Bones will go ballistic. The magical world will have no choice but to take notice. I will deal with that. I think you will find that not only will there be no charges on Harry, but that your own case, Sirius, will be looked at properly."

"Amelia? She is head of the DMLE? I didn't know, Minerva. Blimey, Harry and I, we just might get a fair shake of the duster on this one. Amelia is as straight as a dye."

"Yes, Lord Black, she is, and not a better person that I know to give all this extra information too. ….. Dobby!"

"POP!"

"Dobby can help the Gryffindor Proffy Cat woman?"

"Yes, Dobby, you can. I need to see Madame Amelia Bones again, asap, please. Tell her it's urgent and I need a quiet meeting place away from nosey ears and eyes. I have vital information for her."

"Dobby go now." …. 'POP!'.

Within the hour, at a meeting at Bones Manor, Madam Amelia Bones was doing exactly as Minerva McGonnagle had predicted; she went 'ballistic!'

_HJP & HJG_


	21. Chapter 21: The Lomgbottoms & Weasleys

CHAPTER 21: The Longbottoms & The Weasleys.

It was just gone midday and Dowager Lady Longbottom flued back home to her Longbottom Manor Home. She was annoyed and worried about information that had come her way from a couple of Ministry officials who were, frankly, scared stiff of her. She had overheard their conversation whilst waiting for the internal Ministry building lifts and upon fronting them out in her usual formidable manner, the two fearful clerks fully gave her the information in question, that being: that Harry Potter and his muggle relatives were dead after an attack on some Muggle house in a place called 'Little Whinging', wherever that was. Also, the perpetrator of the murders, a young, fat Muggle boy, had been arrested by the Muggle Police. That was all they knew.

"Neville, where are you? Where are you, boy? I need to speak with you now!" … No answer. … 'Hmmm. The greenhouses or the garden, that's where he will be.'

Sure enough, less than a minute later, having gone through the dining room and out the wide-open French doors, Lady Longbottom spotted her grandson out by the rose beds, secautors in hand, dead-heading for all he was worth.

"Neville" she shouted. "Come here a moment, please. I need to speak with you."

Looking up from his gardening duties and seeing his Grandmother, he waved and made his way to her.

"Afternoon Gran. Thought I would do a bit in the garden instead of the greenhouses for a change. Loads of dead-heading and other pruning to be done. What's wrong? You are looking a bit perplexed."

"Yes, you could say that. I need you to listen and listen good. I have heard some disturbing information about Harry Potter." And she told him all she had heard. "Now, do you know of Harry's domestic situation away from school or this place called 'Little Whinging'?"

Neville was shocked at what he had heard. It couldn't be right, surely. Not Harry Potter! He had survived the tri-Wizard tournament, basilisks, attacks by Slytherins. He can't have been killed by a Muggle!

"Neville! Listen. I don't need you going into your usual shell of fear whenever something shocks you! Not now! Harry Potter is your friend and God-brother. Now, answer me. What do you know of Harry out-with Hogwarts?"

Neville was trying to get his brain in gear. He was no fool, although many thought him so, but he was a rational, methodical thinker, not prone to rashness or fast-on-his-feet thinking. More than once he thought he had been placed in the wrong House at Hogwarts.

"Eh. …. I think Little Whinging is the village or town that Harry lives in. I have heard him mention it more than once. He is there with his relatives, possibly from his mum's side of the family. Yes, yes, that's right. His mum's sister and her family. I don't know where it is, though."

"Right, that's something. I am going to contact Amelia Bones now. As head of the DMLE she should know something of this. I need you to owl the Weasleys; I understand from the few things you have said that Harry is particularly close to their youngest son. Now go, right away now, and find out if they have heard anything. Also, if they know where this 'Little Whinging' is. Got that?"

Neville was learning, think fast.

"Gran! They do know where it is! At least, Ron and the twins do. They got Harry out of that house last year or maybe the year before. Harry was being kept in there like a prisoner. His uncle wouldn't let Harry out or contact anyone. They broke him out using a flying car, a sort of escape. That's when Harry first went to the Weasleys."

"Good. Then there is a chance they might know more of what's going on. Arthur may have heard something of it whilst he was at work. Get an owl to them now!"

"Will do." And off he ran to the owlery.

_HJP & HJG_

"Morning Mum, what's for breakfast?"

Molly Weasley was not amused. She had just walked through the door, it was gone midday and her youngest son was just getting up. Still in his PJ's at this time of day! She had been so busy with her domestic chore's and sorting out getting to the local town of Ottery St Catchpole for the weekly shopping that she hadn't thought of waking Ronald.

"Morning! Morning! It is GONE half past twelve in the afternoon, Ronald Weasley! Morning has come and gone and you have slept though the lot of it."

"Well how was I to know I was sleeping through the morning! I was sleeping!"

"Don't you be cheeky with me, young man! Any more of that and you will be doing chores the rest of the summer! Now, give me a hand putting this shopping away. You are quick enough to eat it so you can help to stack it into the cupboards."

"Aw, Mum. I haven't had anything to eat yet! How can I do stuff on an empty stomach. Can't I have breakfast first?"

"Breakfast! That time has come and gone, Ronald. It's lunchtime, and if you want any lunch, you will put this stuff away now or your next meal will be at Hogwarts in September! Now, get moving or else! ….. Wait a minute, where's your sister? Why isn't she here?"

"How would I know Mum. I told you, I was sleeping! Merlin, I really don't need this! I'm hungry!"

"Get moving, Ronald, or I swear I'll not be cooki …."

Molly heard the sound of the hands of the family clock moving. She looked at it and saw that her husband Arthur's hand was showing him 'travelling' and then further moved across to 'Home', then she heard the sounds of footsteps approaching the open back door. Her 'travelling', 'homeward bound' husband stepped through.

"Arthur! What are you doing home so early on a work-day? Are you feeling alright?" and she rushed over and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Afternoon Molly. Afternoon, Ron. I'm fine, but the news I have heard around the Ministry isn't, not fine at all!"

"What news? What's wrong Arthur?"

"It's about Harry. Not good news l'm afraid. Apparently, there has been a … 'situation' I think I heard it called, at Little Whinging in Surrey, south of London. That is the town where Harry lives. Aurors went there yesterday about an incident some days ago. Dementors attacked Harry. Then, something else. They also destroyed Harry's home and killed his relatives; blew them up into little pieces. And worse still, Harry is missing. No sign of him at all."

"What? But Arthur, what has happe …

"Harry is missing?" asked a much younger female voice from behind Arthur. "Since when, Dad?"

The small, slight figure of Ginny Weasley, wrapped in a large towel as a result of swimming in the Weasley pond, walked around her father to stand between her mother and brother, who was standing as still as a post, pale-skinned and mouth open, too shocked to ask anything.

"Hello Ginny. Since about two days ago, or so the rumours are saying. That's when the Aurors discovered what had happened. Two dead Muggles blown to bits, loads of magic around the place …. And no Harry."

Ronald Weasley said his first words.

"Oh, Shit! Hermione finds out about this she will go mental!"


	22. Chapter 22:Hermione Hears the Truth

CHAPTER 22: Hermione hears the truth.

The afore mentioned Hermione was indeed going 'mental', but not about that certain young Gryffindor wizard being missing. He was wishing he was though, missing from the angry lecture currently being ranted at him from her.

"Harry! You are in the deepest trouble you have ever been in and that is saying something! You have used magic to kill two Muggles! And you are treating it all as if nothing had happened! … You have killed two people, Harry, and never said a thing to me and I have been here for hours! ... Two people and they are your relatives! …. OK, they have treated you abominably for years, but killing them? … You know how this will be seen by everyone, don't you? … You taking your revenge on poor, defenceless Muggles who didn't know better, who had no defence against powerful magic, who had taken you in and cared for you that 10 or 12 or however many years it is! …. You know how Rita Skeeter words things; she will have the whole wizarding world saying you are worse than the Voldemort they all fear, that you are in cahoots with him, that you are a dangerous, psycho nutter of a wizard, that you should be in Azkhaban, or have your magic bound and you thr …!"

"For fuck's sake Hermione, SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP! YOU ARE DRIVING ME NUTS! YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW I AM IN THE SHIT! I FUCKING WELL KNOW WHAT I HAVE DONE, HERMIONE. I USED MY MAGIC TO BLOW TWO PEOPLE AND THEIR HOUSE TO BITS! TWO PEOPLE WHO SHOULDN'T EVEN BE CALLED PEOPLE, IT'S TOO GOOD FOR THEM! THEY WERE FUCKING, NASTY, EVIL PIECES OF FILTH! AND I DON'T GIVE A FUCK THAT THEY ARE GONE! YOU HERE ME HERMIONE ….I .. DO .. NOT .. GIVE .. A .. FLYING .. MERLIN'S … FUCK .. THAT .. THEY .. HAVE ..GONE! …. I HOPE THEY ROAST IN HELL FOR WHAT THEY DID TO ME! … THEY DESERVE EVERY BIT OF IT …."

Sirius Black and Meghan McGonnagle couldn't help but here the argument, if that is what it could be called, between the two close friends. They were only in the adjacent room. Sirius made to get up to go to his Godson, to comfort him, but Meghan stopped him.

"Sirius, no, don't, not just now. Harry needs to do this, he needs to get all that has happened to him out of his system and it has to be with Hermione. They are close, Sirius, very close, but he has kept all that has happened to him hidden away from her, all bottled up. He has to tell her these things and she has to know. We are talking about a future for them Sirius, possibly together, but it cannot happen with secrets between them. So, leave any comfort for later. We, together, may well be comforting both of them. You see, all be it that Harry is blurting out all his hidden private stuff, he will feel awful that he has burdened Hermione with it all and she in turn will feel very guilty for going off at him the way she did. There will be all sorts of guilt trips flying around between them, but it will work, Sirius. We just need to be here for them."

Sirius looked at the young but wise Healer sitting across from him. 'Hmm! She has hidden depths, this one.', he thought to himself.

"You are wise beyond your years, young Meghan. What has got you so knowledgeable about the machinations of the brain and feelings?"

The smile and gentle laughter that came from her was like the spill of water in a highland burn (Scottish for stream), soft and somehow soothing.

"Oh, nothing like you may be thinking, my Lord Black! No broken heart or memories of a lost love! It comes with the territory, I'm afraid. Part of my training both as a Doctor and a Healer is to consider the psychological impact of medicine or healing on a person's mind, that's all. Part of that healing is eventually admitting to yourself what has happened in your life and then telling someone. That someone could be anyone, it doesn't have to be a Psychiatrist or a Mind Healer, although it can be better if it is because they can read the signs quicker. But anyone is a start. In Harry's case, choosing me yesterday was his start, a stranger, it can be easier. Now Hermione, his closest friend and I suspect soon to be partner. It is all a loosening up for Harry. It will help him no end."

Suddenly, the rant from the next room stopped. Suddenly, the raging torrent of anger that was Harry Potter collapsed into tears and admissions and sorrow, sorrow for himself, sorrow for his lost childhood, sorrow for his lost innocence, sorrow for his screaming at Hermione.

"Hermione, they whipped me, they beat me, they locked me up with no food for days, they treated me like a worthless slave. My cousin brought up by them to treat me like a punchbag for him and his thug mates. I wasn't allowed friends, Hermione, not where we lived and not at school. I had to act like I was a thick shit and not worth teaching so as I didn't show their precious 'Dudders' up for being the stupid, thick idiot that he is. Those bastards beat me up so badly for doing better than Dudders at school they left me in a bloody heap and broke my arm, Hermione, they broke it and didn't get me to the hospital to fix it. And you know what else Vernon did then? You know what they did, Hermione? They just shoved me in that cupboard under the stairs and left me to die! I was eight years old Hermione! I heard them talking, Vernon and Petunia. They were going to let me die, wrap my body up and dump me somewhere down the coast, throw me in the sea. Report me missing. Say that I had run away days before. But I didn't die, Hermione, did I! I lived. I know now that my magic made me live! So, when Vernon saw me alive in my cupboard, you know what he did then, Hermione? … he dragged me out by my hair, twisted my broken arm around my back, grabbed a belt and whipped seven bells of shit out of me, Hermione. He cut my back and arms to ribbons. 'Now you'll die, you little freak.' He screamed at me. Then he threw me back in the cupboard. But I didn't die, Hermione. My magic wasn't going to give them the satisfaction. I lived Hermione. I lived!"

Hermione Granger was in tears, as well, now. Tears on hearing just how bad his life had been, how bad he had been treated by the people who should have cared for him, tears of regret that she had not managed to get any of this history from Harry before, regret that she had gone off at him the way she did. And then Harry's final pleas came.

"How could I have been forgotten about, Hermione? How could Dumbledore, who says he cares for me so much and that I have a higher role to play, have left me with those people all those years and not even checked up on me? Why? And McGonnagle, she might be trying to make up for it now, but why didn't she do something? Why have I still been there, at that house with those bastards still treating me like shit these last four years that I have been at Hogwarts? I just don't understand Hermione. But no more. The Dursleys are dead. Huh! Even Dudley might even have a chance to grow up better with his brainwashing, bigoted, evil parents gone."

Then there was silence, apart from Hermione's gulps of air as her tears flowed for her friend, the friend she was already realising she loved beyond measure.

"Harry, I'm so sorry. So sorry. … I, .. I didn't know it was so bad. I kind of knew that you had had no kind of a childhood, little or no love shown to you, but … but nothing as evil as what you just said. I'm sorry I ranted at you. I was so wrong, so wrong. ….. Harry, I …. I want to help, to help you come to terms with all of your life. Please Harry, let me help. Don't turn me away. Please, let me help you?"

A small smile came to Harry's lips, a smile through his tears. He raised his good arm and held his hand out.

"Hermione, I could never turn you away. Certainly not now, you know all my secrets. You are the best thing in my life. You and then Sirius. Come here!"

Hermione moved the couple of steps to take Harry's hand, then dropped down onto the bed, her head in his chest, where her tears continued to flow.

"Hermione, I am sorry I put all my shitty life on you. None of this is your fault, none of it. But I am glad you know it all now, there is nothing else to tell. Maybe this is the start of something good from now on, for you and me."

Hermione lifted her head and placed her forehead against Harry's.

"You will never lose me, Harry Potter, never. I am here for keeps, friend or otherwise. You hear me? You can tell me anything, Harry, anything."

Then she lent just that little bit closer and kissed him. A gentle, soft kiss, lingering on his lips only about six or seven seconds. When she moved back, still only a matter of a foot or so from him, she looked him directly in the eyes. Harry, she saw him return her gaze then his eyes dropped to her lips. Both of them had a slightly pinked complexion.

"Harry, I … I hope you didn't mind. I have so wanted to do that for a while. I haven't plucked up the coura ….mmmm!"

She had to stop talking as her lips were now covered by Harry's. He lingered a good, few seconds longer than she had, her free hand went to his neck and rested against him. She just brushed the ends of his hair with her fingertips. This kiss was something different from the first, not asking a question as the first had, more an acknowledgement from Harry that something in their relationship had suddenly changed, and that he both accepted and wanted that change. When they moved apart for the second time, Hermione moved away a bit further, still holding his good hand but now at arm's length. She was a bit wide eyed and a smile came to her face.

"OH! … I … I wasn't expecting that answer so quickly. That kiss was way better than the first!"

Harry gave that quirky, lopsided smile that melted many a witch's heart without him ever realising it, including his best friend's.

"I'm been a bit mixed up about you for ages. Since the Yule Ball, I think. You looked so lovely that night. I was a bit jealous of Krum and wished I had asked you. I was going to, but I thought that maybe Ron was going to. I know he kind of likes you more than a just a friend and I thought that maybe you fancied him, so I didn't want to get in the way. But he upset you and ruined your night and …. Well, I just wasn't sure about stuff! About whether you liked me enough to maybe give us two a chance, you know, as more than just best friends."

Hermione was surprised and a bit shocked as well. Fancy Ron?

"Harry, where did that come from, me fancying Ron? He's the most annoying, pain-in-the-arse, rude, glutinous, lazy, insulting, spoilt mummy's boy of a ….other best friend! But, yeah, I still like him. He is so funny at times. And, believe it or not, can be quite cute on occasions when he puts on his little-boy-lost look! But, no Harry, you got that wrong. I have never fancied Ron, ever! … You thought I was lovely at the ball? Why didn't you say something, stupid?"

"Hermione, I have never had a girlfriend; no girl has ever been interested. I haven't got a clue about lovey stuff and girls!"

"You must be joking, Harry! Virtually every witch at Hogwarts, even some of the Slytherins, think you're a catch! You could have had your pick of any of them probably since we were in 2nd year. You must have noticed all the gooey eyes and giggling every time groups of witches passed you. And when you were flying at Quidditch! Merlin Harry, there was witches wetting their knickers just watching you. You are so good out there and you are wearing that dragon skin Quidditch strip that is so tight that a witch can just imagine what is under …."

Hermione stopped and blushed furiously, realising that she just may have let a few secrets out!

"Oh yeah! You have been watching me flying then! Here was me thinking you were only there because you were my friend and were backing me up. Your head wasn't always in those books you always seemed to be reading!"

Hermione had a very guilty, sheepish smile on her face when she replied,

"Well, I may have looked now and again. Just occasionally, to make sure my best friend wasn't going to get injured again! But, surely Harry, you couldn't have been completely blind to all the silly goings on from the witches when you were around?"

"I'm hopeless at that Hermione. Never noticed a thing. I …. I just don't read the signals at all, do I?"

"Oh, I don't know! Maybe you are getting better. You read my signals well enough just a few minutes ago. You answered quick enough and very well, I might add!"

"Oh yeah, I did, didn't I. Maybe it's time I sent a second reply then. Can't have you thinking I'm the type of wizard that has a quick kiss and doesn't follow it up."

He pulled her close to him, put his good arm around her waist and said,

"I have fancied you for ages, Hermione Granger, even although I have only just realised it. You are gorgeous, my best friend ….. and I don't want to be without you or give another Krum the chance to snatch you away from me. Will you be my girlfriend?"

Hermione smiled, then just kissed him …. for a rather long time.

_ HJP & HJG _


	23. Chapter 23 Young love Parted

CHAPTER 23: Young Love Parted.

The very soft, magically diminished 'POP!' of the ageing witch apparating into her front garden followed by her sigh of relief, and of satisfaction, was testament to the effort that Professor Minerva McGonnagle was putting in over the Harry Potter predicament. She hadn't used so much of her formidable magic in apparating the length and breadth of the country in a long time. She had the early symptoms of her core just beginning to feel the need of a rest and her body was definitely feeling the same.

'Getting old, Minerva', she thought to herself.

As she looked at the beautiful early evening scene around her, a sight she never tired of, millenia of the spirits of countless highland Scots within her sang at the vista. The sun, still bright and warm, was now in the west, and although with a good many hours of daylight still remaining of the day, in high summer this far north the sun didn't set till close to eleven o'clock at night and was up by easily 4am, the gloriously colourful hues of blooming purple, white and yellow heathers, the greeny/blue of the pines and whyns, the ever changing shades of the dark blue of the sea with its white skerries were illuminated into a glowing scene that no artist, magical or muggle, could ever reproduce.

'By Merlin, I love it here. I should think of reti…..'

"Hmmm! Gone quiet in there, Sirius.", she overheard.

Minerva stepped through the door. "What's gone quiet, niece?"

Both the young, mystical witch and the much searched for wizard jumped out of their skins.

"Minerva! You scared the sh ….. bejesus out of us! How can you apparate so quietly?"

"Ah! Now that is my secret to know and you to ponder over. Now, where has it gone quiet?"… Then, quickly looking around, she asked ….."And where is Miss Granger?"

The ever-guilty looking Lord Black, and on this occasion, her also very guilty looking niece, both looked very sheepish and gulped.

"Eh …. Well Minerva, it's like this, you see …. Eh! ….."

The stern Gryffindor professor frown and stilted tones came back with a vengeance. "There is no "well Minerva's" about it, Sirius. Where is Miss Granger?"

The Healer (or Doctor) McGonnagle came in on the conversation instead, with just a little bit of hesitation.

"Em! …. evening aunt Minnie. Hermione is in with Harry. They have been having quite a chat. Some raised voices, even a bit of shouting, swearing and downright angry screaming at each other for a bit. But it seems to have settled down. Only a few quiet murmurs for a while now. Was touch and go whether they would be hexing one another but I think their fine, now."

Minerva was a bit shocked at the answer.

"What? Hermione and Harry? Yes, I can see Hermione nipping Harry's ears off about something, but shouting and screaming? What's gone on in there?"

"Aunt Minnie, Hermione was … nipping Harry's ear, since you put it that way, about what he done, how serious it was and so on, then Harry had had enough of it. He hit the roof and it was not pretty on the ear. His temper went off again like a kettle letting off steam. Some more of the truth about his upbringing came out along with other stuff. You and Dumbledore were not cast in a pretty light, at all. It was not good, Aunt Minnie, and Hermione copped it both barrels. But, …. Before you do anything more, that was a wee while ago. It has all settled down now, much calmer, in fact, very peaceful with only the odd murmuring coming from the bedroom."

The raised eyebrows and slight cocking of the old Professor's head to one side made Sirius feel so much like the young student waiting to be interigated for some mischief he had been up too.

"And how long, may I ask,.. Sirius… has this 'wee while' been?" asked McGonnagle.

"OH! Eh, 'bout and hour, maybe an hour and a half …. Or so. Not long"

"What? You left two fifteen-year old teenagers in a bedroom, alone, for an 'or so' hour and half! … Merlin's beard! I promised Mrs Granger that I would make sure her daughter was supervised and kept from harm! Bollocks!"

"Minerva, the door was always … Oh, shit! …unlocked!"

McGonnagle was at the door of the guest bedroom in an instant and hearing no sounds coming from there, breathing deeply and preparing herself for a sight she hoped not to see, she edged the door open and popped her head inside. Then paused. And smiled gently with ever a small sigh of relief. Then, head back out and looking at the other two adult magicals who had followed her, she beckoned and whispered, "Have a look."

Harry was sound asleep inside the covers, Hermione was awake, still fully clothed and cradling Harry in her arms, but she outside the covers. She had looked up as the door had swung open not quite soundlessly on its hinges. A smile was on her face although with a slight pinkness about her complexion at being seen in her situation, in bed, well, on the bed, with Harry. But she seemed very content.

A very quiet "Shhh!" and then an even quieter "Hi! We had a bit of a clear the air talk. I think it was needed but it's all good now. But Harry is still very tired and a bit sore again. He got a bit angry at me and I think he has had a bit of a relapse. I made him take one of the sleep and pain potions that Megh …. Dr. McGonnagle left here for him. He went out for the count very quickly after we ki ….. em …. Made up. But we're fine …. We're good …..eh, OK?" And her pink complexion went a shade …. more pink.

The senior McGonnagle smiled and replied,

"Yes, Miss Granger ….Hermione …. 'you're good', as you say. I have been told by…. " and tipping her head backwards' … "these toe numpties that you two had a bit of a row. Glad to see all has worked out. But I have one more, long apparation to do and its return before I can get some much needed rest. You, young lady, I need to get home. It has gone six o'clock so time we were making tracks. I do not want to betray your parents trust and be late, so, I'm afraid, comfortable as you and Harry are, we need to go."

A look of disappointment came across Hermione's face. With everything that had happened she had forgotten all about leaving to be back home for 7pm. She really would rather have stayed exactly where she was. Harry needed her.

"Professor, I know you promised my Mum I would be home for seven o'clock, but can I have a bit longer here? Just a few minutes more? I … I don't want to go without saying goodbye to Harry."

The younger McGonnagle gave the young witch a look of understanding then replied to her questions.

"Hermione, the potions I had prepared are very strong to give Harry maximum rest and maximum pain relief. You gave one of them to Harry so he will be out of it for hours. Waking him normally is not really an option and I doubt he will wake up this side of midnight. The longer he is asleep the better the healing. He needs it, Hermione."

A nod from Hermione confirmed her understanding, but she still asked,

"OK, that's ….. that's fine. But Professor, have I enough time to just have a few minutes more with him, just like this? Just so I can hold him a bit longer?"

McGonnagle nodded. "Yes, we can wait a bit. It will only take a few minutes to get you home, but I don't want a mad dash at the last minute. I will need a few minutes rest at your parent's house to recover enough to apparate back here again. I have used a lot of magic over the last couple of days and I am just a tad played out. My old bones and my old magic are not what they once were, well, not for extensive bouts of apparating. So, I can give you …. Oh, fifteen minutes at the most, Hermione, no longer, you hear?"

"Thank you, Professor. And Professor…. Thank you for all you have done for Harry. I know he is being a bit ungrateful and hurtful towards you at the moment, but he will come round. He is hurting and a lot of stuff has landed on him all at once."

Minerva McGonnagle shook her head before replying.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Potter's attitude towards me, at present, is not at all surprising. I have neglected him very badly over many years and apologies and sympathy I do not deserve. I allowed Professor Dumbledore's assurances as to Mr. Potters welfare and upbringing to cloud my own judgement. I can only promise Mr. Potter and yourself, and Sirius, that it will not happen again. He is in my care and will remain that way for some considerable time. As regards Mr. Po ….Harry, I am actually quite relieved that he has not actually tried to direct some of his new-found but uncontrolled Magical power towards my person. From what I have seen and found out from my niece's and I's examinations of that young man lying in your arms, and the considerable damage he has done to my home without even trying, I am not actually that sure that I could have fended him off. He is …. I think the modern muggle term is 'something else'. Your young man there.." Hermione at those words blushing furiously …." And I think I am now judging correctly in saying 'your'?" …. A small smile and a slight nod from Hermione ….." Ah, yes, I thought so. Your young man there is a one off, unique in every way, but he currently needs a lot of protecting, a lot of kindness shown him, a lot of explanation, a lot of understanding and a lot of love. All of those things he has never received from any adult, apart from probably the Weasleys. Arthur and Molly have taken to him as if he was one of their own. Anyway, I have said my piece and I will leave you in peace for a few minutes longer."

Then, turning to her niece and Sirius, she said,

"You two. Out. Leave these two young ones to their own company. And no tittle-tattling about them. Goodness knows, they deserve their time together and for that time and their situation to be kept private."

The three adults turned and left, McGonnagle pulling the door to behind her.

Hermione looked down at her new beau, an old-fashioned word that best describes what so far had been a rather odd but certainly exciting relationship between them. She smiled at seeing his relaxed features and his undisturbed sleep. She put a hand to his hair and let her fingers gently run through them. Then she just sat with him for a while, he wrapped in her embrace. She eventually moved ever so gently, got off the bed, pulled the bedcovers over him and looked down at him.

"I may be only fifteen, but I love you so much, Harry Potter. I have to go now, but I promise I will be back tomorrow. You just do as you're told, for once. Do what Doc Meghan and the Professor say. And please, much as I think that he has your best interests at heart, ignore Sirius. He will just get you into more trouble."

She bent low, kissed his forehead, then dropped her lips to his and kissed him gently.

"Be good and be kind, Harry, especially to the Professor. She really means what she says and right now, you really need her protection. I'll see you tomorrow."

Then she turned and left the room.

"Ah, Miss Granger. Are we good?"

"Yes, Professor. I have said my goodbyes. Professor, I have said to Harry, even if he is asleep, that I will be back tomorrow. Will that be okay with you? Will you be able to fetch me?"

McGonnagle frowned a bit before replying.

"It will be no problem for me, Miss Granger, but as regards your parents' thoughts on this, you will need to ask them. They may not want you to return here. After all, it is your summer break and I have no authority over your parents wishes. Also, I promised a full explanation to your mother with your father present. Upon hearing the circumstances of Harry's confinement on my island, I am pretty sure that they will not be too happy but let's wait and see. And Miss Granger, it may be best if you let me do the talking. The facts of his relatives' assault on Harry is not a problem; after all, it is all non-magical and not under any magical statute laws. Harry's use of magic to defend himself I can probably get around but the details of what spells he used and how, well that is a different matter entirely. As to the extent the consequences had on his aunt and uncle …. Well, I think that part be left untold. I think the words 'serious injuries' and 'hospital' will be the extent of my description, but I will deal with that if the need arises.'

Then turning to her niece and Lord Black, she said,

"I leave Harry in your care, Meghan, and both of them in your protection, Sirius… and no funny business! I would like my niece to have nothing but glowing compliments as regards your fine manners, good conduct and excellent behaviour. Clear?"

Sirius Black shook his head and then replied,

"Professor, I am an old and changed man. Best behaviour, honest."

"Hah! That bodes ill, right away. From memory, your best behaviour is still far worse than any ordinary ten wizards at their worst, put together! But I have no choice. Here!" And handed Sirius his wand.

A beaming smile from Sirius took ten years off of him. He bowed graciously, took his wand and taking his old Professor's hand in his, kissed it. Meghan McGonnagle giggled.

"Minerva, I take it all back. You are a fine woman, a bit too stern for my liking, normally, but if I was in the frame for chatting up and older witch, I would put you first in line."

Now, it had been many years since anyone saw Minerva McGonnagle flush with embarrassment, but if any of her old friends and colleagues could have seen her then, they would have been astounded that the stern old Scot's witch could still be affected by the actions of a wizard who, although not young himself, was still some 40-odd years younger than her and a former pupil too boot.

"Professor McGonnagle, I do believe that I have made you blush!"

"Pwa! Nonsense. Just … just feeling the heat a bit and I am a bit tired. Now, do as your told, Lord Black. A magical lord of this realm you may be, but I can still box your ears, if need be. Now, I must get Miss Granger back to her parents. With some explanations to them I would hope that I should be about an hour." Then, turning to Hermione, she said, "Miss Granger, to the front garden please then take my arm. Let's get you home."

"Goodnight Hermione." From Meghan.

"Goodnight, my Godson's sweet princess. I shall look forward to your company in the 'morrow!"

Hermione laughed, a light, girly but honest laugh.

"Hahahahaha! You know, the Professor's right about you, Sirius. You are just an old-fashioned charmer. But don't change, it suits you. 'Goodnight, Sweet Prince.' … I love Shakespeare!"

Taking the Professor's arm and …'POP!' ….. they were gone.

-HJP & HJG-


	24. Chapter 24 : AGranger Family Row

-HJP & HJG-

CHAPTER 24: A Granger Family Row!

"Miss Granger. As you have heard, I have informed your parents about some matters that are above the normal in telling Muggles about magical goings on. I have cast some magic around this house, strong McGonnagle family magic similar to the spells I have at my own house, that will let you have some ….. freedom …. In telling your parents a bit more than normal about what has been happening. Under these current, extra-ordinary circumstances; I thought it prudent. The Ministry will not know a thing, nor will Dumbledore. So, if you feel you want to expand on what I have said, you go ahead. But I must stress, Miss Granger, you still cannot do magic here. There are no wardstones here, so my spells will not hold up if they have to hide magic from the Ministry. Now, I am exhausted and need some rest. Mr and Mrs Granger thank you and I bid you goodnight. I will return in the morning for you, Hermione. See you then." …'POP!' ….. and she was gone.

In the Granger household that night, there was much explanation, shock, anger and heated argument. The explanation and shock happened at the words of the Gryffindor Professor, the anger and argument were after she had apparated back to her island home. In addition, there was upset and tears from both the Granger women; the younger upset because of the whole situation with Harry getting to her and the emotional shock of the badly injured state she had seen him in, not helped with what she saw as the lack of understanding and disregard of her feelings for her 'friend' and how she wanted to help him.

Emma Granger had not seen her husband so annoyed in many a long year, and never, ever before at their daughter. He was normally the calm one, the peacemaker between her and Hermione, so Emma was in very unusual territory in her trying to be the mediator between father and daughter. She too, then, ended up in tears at seeing the rift between them and what appeared to be her inability to calm them down. She knew that Dan only wanted to protect Hermione, to shield her from any potential danger that the magical world, a world that he did not understand, could throw at her.

"Why, Dad? Why? Why won't you let me be with Harry? He is my friend, Dad, my best friend and he needs me. He is a mess. He is smashed up, his body broken, his mind and magic are all angry and confused. He needs someone with him that he trusts and that's me, and only me! The only one that can show him that there is someone in this world that cares for him."

Her father's annoyed reaction and answer gave vent to his feelings about the whole 'magic' phenomenon and his daughter's involvement with it. "Harry has people with him, Hermione. His Godfather for one, immaterial that this Lord Black is an escaped felon that is being hunted by the police or whatever their magical lot are called. And you wonder why I don't want you back there! Then there is that old McGonnagle woman. A teacher, still? She's bloody ancient. She should be in a care home, not a fucking classroom! And …. And … what did you call this other one, this Meghan? A medi-witch or something, that even the magical authorities won't recognise as she has no magical powers, couldn't even get into magic school! What right has she to be treating anyone, let alone a severely injured boy? Sounds more like a fucking witch-doctor in the true terms, a boogy- man, well girl in her case. A bloody kid still. She's not even old enough to have started her 3rd year of medical studies. Qualified doctor, my arse."

"Dad, she saved Harry. Meghan saved him. He was stabbed and battered, he had broken bones and everything, Dad. How could she do that if she wasn't qualified?"

"Why wasn't he taken to a hospital then, Hermione, even this St. Mungo's place you go on about? If he was that bad, that's where he should have gone, not some fantasy fucking island by some nutter of a dwarf elf. Bloody hell, Hermione, see sense! See our point of view! You are our only daughter, our only child, living in a world that we don't know anything about or were even aware existed outside of comic books and bloody Walt Disney! Now you have injuries you can't or won't explain, you are mixed up in all sorts with these people and especially this Potter boy, getting into all sorts of trouble. You have been taken away from us, your mum and I. You've got brains Hermione, one of the finest brains I have ever come across. Bloody well use it and see sense. So, no Hermione, No! This is finished! I Have had this magic crap up to here. This whole fucking farce is finished. You are getting enrolled in proper school for September. I can afford the best for you, Hermione, and that is where you will be going. A top private school with proper teachers, proper subjects and proper bloody discipline. … And no fucking magic!"

Hermione Granger was distraught. Not only was she not going to see Harry tomorrow, according to her father she was not going to see him ever again, or Hogwarts, and no magic. That magic flared, sending a bolt of energy from her to a framed photograph of her and her father that sat on the table next to his favourite chair, that picture shattering into many hundreds of pieces. Her father, her mother and she, herself, were shocked at the outcome.

Emma Granger was the first to recover. She saw her once close family crumbling in front of her eyes and she was desperate. She stepped between her husband and daughter, pushing Hermione back away from him.

"ENOUGH! NO MORE, YOU HERE? NO MORE, NOT IN MY HOME! How dare you Hermione Granger, how dare you! You do not threaten your father! And you, Dan Granger! Just what are you thinking? This is Hermione, I am your WIFE! We discuss family problems in this house, we do not scream and swear and make demands and lay down unjust rules. So, stop, the pair of you!"

Hermione was still fuming, even more so as in her eyes her mother had taken her father's side, had actually laid hands on her in anger.

"YOU HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF MAGIC! … YOU BOTH KNOW FUCK ALL ABOUT IT. I'LL SHOW YOU MAGIC!"

She pulled her wand from the waistband of her jeans and went to point it at her parents. At that moment, 'POP', and the 'nutter of a dwarf elf' appeared in the living room, instantly snapped his fingers and Hermione's wand flew from her grasp and flying high, stuck to the ceiling. The two Granger parents were stunned as they saw the tiny elf creature standing in the middle of the room. And Dobbie, not even noticing their shocked appearance. He said,

"You stop, Miss Grangy. You'se be wrong. You not use magic on parents. You'se not hurt parents and break up family. You'se be angry because you want to be's with the great Harry Potter. He has no family 'cause nasty, snake face Riddle kill them. Dobbie needs you and your family to be his."

Then, turning to the parent Grangers, he said,

"I's be Dobbie, Harry Potter's friend and a free Elf! I's be watching out for the Great Harry Potter and his friend, Miss Grangy. Much has happened with them. Their magics be together, now, so Dobbie knows when Miss Grangy need him. Miss Grangy not ok, very upset because her magic say so. She not be balanced and her magic be mixed about, just like Harry Potter. She need be away from father but not for long. She calm down soon. Dobbie will help take her to room." And with a click of his fingers, he and Hermione were gone. A noise in the room above the living room, Hermione's room, gave a sign as to where they had gone.

"What the fuck was that?" Dan asked.

"Dan, that elf thing. That was what Hermione was on about. That 'Dobbie'! That was him!"

"Shit! That noise. Upstairs, Emma!"

As he made for the living room door, Emma Granger grabbed her husband.

"Dan! Stop, please stop! You're still angry at her, Dan. Even more so now, because she was going to harm me. Dan, love, she's hurting, hurting really bad. And ….. Look, you stay here. I'll go up to her, speak to her."

"Emma, what has happened to us, our family? We have never been like this. We all love each other for goodness sake. This ….. this can't be happening!"

"Dan, leave it be, go have a drink or something. I will sort Hermione out. But, one thing love, we will have to reach a compromise with Hermione. We just have to! If we don't, we will lose her. She will go, Dan. She will leave …. And we do not have the power to stop her!"

"SHIT!" was all he said in reply.

"Dan, something Hermione said I picked up on. I noticed it but to tell you the truth didn't really pay it much mind. But then this Dobbie elf. He said something too that …. Well, it's got me thinking; something that I need to ask Hermione about. It maybe, just maybe, will shed some light on why she is so extra-highly strung about Harry, about having to be with him more than normal. Give me a bit of time, this could take a while. And please, be your usual patient self; don't butt in. It is going to be a mum/daughter thing, love: you know, love and sex and drugs and rock'n'roll!"

"What? Oh! ….. OH! Fuck, Is Hermione pregnant? Is that what you're thinking?"

"Hmmm! Not sure. I don't think so, but that's why I need to chat with our daughter. So, stay down here, OK?"

As her husband nodded, Emma headed up the stairs. They a had a lovely home: four large bedrooms with the master bedroom and Hermione's both with en-suite bathrooms, the two guest rooms sharing one bathroom. One of those bedrooms was used as an office and extra TV room by the whole family. Hermione's bedroom was the far one overlooking both the side and back gardens. Emma was soon knocking on the door.

"Hermione? Hermione darling, it's Mum. Let me in ….. please darling. We need to talk."

The door opened and the little figure of Dobbie the free house elf stood below her in the doorway.

"Lady Grangie, Miss Grangie was mad but I know she sorry. You come in now. Miss Grangie no hurt you now. She good."

When Emma entered the bedroom, she saw her daughter lying on the floor bawling her eyes out and looking absolutely devastated. She went to her daughter, dropped onto the floor beside her and bending over, put both arms around Hermione, lifting her up and placing her head on her lap. As she run a hand over her hair, Emma said,

"Shhh! Shush now, love. I'm fine and you will be. No harm done. Hush, now. Calm down."

The shaking and sobbing continued for some minutes, little being said between them, just occasional consoling words from mum to daughter. Eventually, the sobbing slowed, the shaking eased, the gulps of air steadied to easier breathing.

"Mum, oh Mum, I'm so sorry."

"I know you are, love. And you're hurting. It usually does, a lot, when close, loving families have a big bust-up. And it goes both ways. Your Dad and I, we're hurting and very sorry, too. Things get said in the heat of the moment that in normal circumstances just wouldn't be said. And rarely are the words meant. There's raw emotion involved, a lot of temper, oh … all sorts of stuff. And, well, in a close family none of us are used to it or know how to handle it. Everything gets just a bit fractious and OTT."

There were a few more sobs then she felt Hermione take her hand.

"Oh, Mum! Why? Why did this have to happen to us. You, Dad and I, we never argue! We have always been so … so …. Well, so GOOD with each other. We laugh, we joke, we holiday together, go shopping; we never fall out! …. Oh, Mum, I feel awful. And Dad, what I said to him! I threatened him, Mum. With magic! OH, and then you! …. I ….. I…" ….. And the sobbing started all over again.

"Dobbie?"

"Dobbie be still here Lady Grangy. What be Dobbie doing for you?"

"Dobbie, am I allowed to ask you to help?"

"Yes, Missus. Me a free elf. Dobbie can choose to help. Me help Lady Grangy because she be being mum to Miss Grangy and Miss Grangy be the great wizard Harry Potters witch."

Emma breathed deep. She knew she had heard right downstairs.

"Dobbie, can you get both Hermione and I a glass of water but not from this bathroom. My bedroom is at the other end of the hallway. There is also a bathroom in there. The cabinet on the wall has a couple of blue packets of small tablets in them. They are a human, a muggle, remedy for feeling bad, for headaches and things. Can you bring those as well, please? …. Oh, and Dobbie. Can you fetch Hermione's wand from the ceiling downstairs?"

"Yes, Lady Grangy. You ask Dobbie nice, like Miss Grangy and Harry Potter. Dobbie happy."

'POP! …. 'POP!' And he was there and back again. A snap of the fingers and Hermione's wand appeared, lying on a chair the other side of the bedroom.

"Wow! Great service, Dobbie! Thank you. Very Impressed."

The little elf face reddened.

"Thank youse, Lady Grangy. Dobbie be happy helping. It's what Dobbie do. Me need to stay, now?"

"No Dobbie. Thank you. If I need anything I will call again, is that all right?"

"You call, I come." 'POP!'

"Well! That Was different!... "

A small giggle came from her daughter.

"Something funny, Hermione?" Asked Emma, with a slight smile on her face.

Hermione at last moved her head to look at her mum.

"You have a fan, Mum. Asking Dobbie with a please and a thank you! You have a friend for life, now!"

"Good manners never hurt anyone. It's just being polite and they go a long way to making a friend."

"Yes, Mum, they do. And … and I think Dad and I forgot about that. Oh, Mum. You and Dad, will you ever forgive me?"

"Oh Hermione, you are our very loving daughter who we love to bits. Of course, we forgive you. I just hope you will forgive us, as well. You're not the only one in bits, you know! Your Dad's downstairs, heartbroken."

Hermione raised herself and the two Granger ladies gave each other a mutual, typical Granger bear-hug cuddle. A small whisper went into the daughter's ear.

"Hermione, we still need to have a chat. Just you and me. It's important."

Hermione leant back but took both her mum's hands in hers. Then, taking a deep breath, she asked'

"About what, Mum?"

"Harry …. and you."

"Oh!"

"How much do you love Harry?"

"OH!"

"Yes, oh. Something you said downstairs, your reaction about wanting to see him so very much, then a couple of things Dobbie said when he got here and since then. Your magic being mixed with Harry's or something like that. Something changed between you and Harry that I should know about?"

"Well …. Yeah, maybe a bit."

Emma took a deep breath. "Go on then, tell me."

"Merlin, I didn't want this to come out as a result of a family row."

"Hermione, whatever you say, it's fine. Your Dad and I, we will ….. we will accept it and deal with it. What's happened?

It was Hermione's turn for the deep breath, then,

"I love Harry, Mum, and … and I mean not just as my best friend."

"Hmm. That's what I suspected. Love him as in boyfriend/girlfriend stuff?"

A nod from Hermione and "Yes, Mum. As in boyfriend/girlfriend stuff. And …. Well, I think it is a lot more than that, Mum. A lot more."

"Right. How long has this been going on?"

"I have probably loved him as more than a friend for a while, Mum, I'm not sure how long but months, probably. But, well, I have only sort of realised it, well, today, actually!"

Emma Granger's eyes opened wide in surprise and relief. Then she voiced her thoughts.

"Oh, just today? So, eh, no long term, all year thing, then?"

It was now Hermione's turn to look surprised.

"No, Mum. Just today. With all that has happened to him all the times I have known him, Harry and I have got close. And I have been a bit mixed up about how I felt about him for a while, certainly since … well, around my birthday last year. But I just didn't know! I have never had a boyfriend, never felt close enough to a boy to want to be a girlfriend to anybody. Only ever been close to Harry, and maybe Ron Weasley as well, but nothing like Harry. Then, when I saw him this morning, all smashed up and .. and … other things, well, it hit me. Wham! And, ….. I love him, Mum. Way down deep like it hurts when I am not with him or have to leave him!"

"Yes, daughter, when it is way down deep like that, love definitely hurts. Your breathing hurts, your head hurts, your heart hurts. It just hurts!"

"Yes, Mum! Yes! When I saw him today, Mum. He was just like a little boy lost, you know! And so badly injured and beaten up, Merlin, Mum, I was so angry! I wanted to find the people that did that to him and … and …."

"Yup! When your Dad was badly hurt on a mission with the army, he was flown home for specialist treatment. I saw him. God, I was devastated, then angry, then boiling mad. I wanted to take a gun and go get the bastards that did that to him. I would have taken on every terrorist going to get to the people that tried to kill him. Yes, darling, I know how that feels."

"Mum, does it always hurt when you see Dad in pain or troubled or…stuff?"

"Yes, love, always. You want to take that pain away, take it yourself, if necessary. The pain you feel deep down is not always the same, some worse than others, but always something. One consolation about your Dad's injuries that time, though. When he had recovered enough and he needed to get exercise and get fit again, the sex was marvellous and often!"

The look of shock and rising pink complexion made the elder Granger lady smile.

"MUM!"

"What?"

"Well …. Well, that's kind of … well private stuff, you and Dad stuff!"

"Hermione, have we ever hidden anything from you? You have seen us cuddling, clothed and naked, around the pool on holiday! Hell, we walk around in the nude pretty much all day on holiday when we have no company and so have you, just last week and the week before, as a matter of fact. You were quite happy lying on the beach in nothing but that tiny thong you were nearly wearing, didn't give a hoot who was having a good look at you. We have always been the same since you were little. It's not bothered you at all ….. before!"

"What do you mean, 'before'?"

"Well, 'before' …. Before you and Harry became an item! What's changed? You and Harry have had plenty of time together even before today. I mean, have you, sort of, kind of… eh …. Got intimate … or stuff, before today? When you just 'loved him' as a friend, sort of 'friends with benefits' type thing …. Maybe?"

"WHAT? No mum, we have not! We had not even kissed before today, thank you!"

"Ah, now we are getting somewhere! So, you have kissed today, then?"

"Yes, we have. And as you are being so bloody nosey, it was in bed! And for quite a while, as well! And Harry's shirt was off and he was only in his boxers. So there!"

Now, this statement did set the senior Granger lady back on her heels. Eyebrows high, a look of surprise o her face. 'Shit, that was fast! It took me three dates and two weeks before I got Dan to take me to bed!'

"OH! I …. I ….. You are only fifteen, young lady! What do you think you are doing? And what was Harry thinking of? And I thought McGonnagle was with you and these other two adults? What were they doing when they were NOT keeping an eye on you!?"

Hermione started laughing, a loud, hearty, enjoyable belly laugh.

"Oh Mum, you should see your face! If looks could kill! Harry was covered in bandages, Mum, one arm in a sling, one leg heavily strapped, herbal poultices in assorted places all over his body. He was doped up to the nines on painkillers and healing potions of various types. We had as much chance of having sex as a snowball in hell! And anyway, I was trying to keep him calm and stop his magic from blowing the place apart! Harry heard some stuff a bout … well, himself, when he was a baby, and he hit the roof! So, it is just a bit quick, Mum. At least give us till Friday!"

Now it was Emma's turn to look guilty.

"With you so temperamental downstairs, so desperate to be with Harry, I was thinking you actually might have been ….. pregnant!"

"OH! I was that bad?"

"Yes, love, you were. Even your Dad thought along those lines just before I came up here. That is part of the reason I did come up. Pregnant, hormonal, Harry either didn't know or had dumped you, etc etc. All sorts goes through a parents head with that scenario that you and your dad presented, downstairs. And, well, you only really ever talk about this Harry Potter! Harry this, Harry that, Harry the other! And, well, I thought, maybe it was a bit of the other that had caught you out!"

"Oh, I see. I wondered where this was going. So that's what you thought! I …. We, Harry and I, we are right at the beginning of something Mum, me and him. Something I hope will be very, very special, but that is all. We kissed for a while Mum, had a cuddle as best we could with Harry's injuries, then I just held him. He is in so much pain and his magic is going crazy, it's all over the place. And his temper! It is really huge. It is causing these awesome, frightening actually, magical outbursts that are just incredible. Nothing like I have seen from him before. He was so drained. I gave him some potion …. Magical medicine, Mum, … and held him for a while as he fell asleep. We were like that when Professor McGonnagle came into us."

Hermione then let out a little giggle and blushed a little.

"Oh! Now I understand the look of relief and the sigh that came from the Professor! She must have thought that …. Ooh!"

And the blush intensified as she thought of what the adults around her must have been thinking.

"I was fully clothed Mum, honest! The kisses were as far as Harry and I went! We couldn't do anyth …"

"Shush darling! I believe you. I think I know my daughter well enough to know when she is telling the truth. In fact, I doubt you have ever told us a lie in your life. Although, from a few things that have been said this evening, both from you and your Professor, I suspect some … events … in your Hogwarts life may have been missed out or gilded over a bit. I think all the facts have not come out! Am I right?"

A sheepish nod of the head came from Hermione.

"Hmm. Thought so. Is there some reason why you have kept some stuff hidden from us?"

"Mum, it is like the Professor said more than once today. There is a sort of binding magical contract, no, not contract, …. Magical rules been put in place by the Ministry of Magic that prevents magicals from saying or doing anything that will reveal us to the Muggle, non-magical world. Britain has the strictest rules of any country, really binding. Loss of magic, memory erased; loads of other stuff can happen to a witch or wizard if we break those rules. I am only getting away with telling you this stuff now because you are my parents and there is a little bit of leeway given to letting close family know a little bit of what goes on with us. In fact, I am surprised that I can tell you this much. It must be the spells that Professor McGonnagle put on the house."

Emma nodded and replied, "Yes, I can see that. Back in your Dad's army days when he was going on or been on some sort of covert mission, he basically had to clam up as well; not allowed to tell me a thing. Drove me round the bend. I got round him eventually to tell me a bit here and there, though!"

"Mum! If it is the sex thing again, I am not surprised. You and Dad may be into your forties, but you two were certainly going at it often enough on holiday to make me blush! Why do you think I had my Walkman playing and earphones in so much? Honestly, I have seen less raging hormones in a school full of teenagers!"

This time it was Granger lady the senior's turn a pretty shade of pale pink.

"That bad, eh?"

"Yes, Mum, that bad!"

"OK, love. It will be your turn eventually to get us all hot and bothered with your antics with young Harry boy! …..But, meantime, are you good for going downstairs to see your Dad? He needs some reassurance not just from me but you as well. You will probably be in for the Dan Granger big cuddle and sorry trip."

"Mum. About me seeing Harry tomorrow. Will Dad be OK with it?"

"He is worried about you Hermione. Not just the danger that you appear to have gotten involved in, but your education as well. And ….. this Harry Potter. The depth of your involvement with him."

"What if I get Professor McGonnagle to bring Harry here so you can meet him? Or take you to her island, he home. When he is well, of course. Harry is really sweet, Mum. He is very kind, mannerly, polite. Honestly, Mum, you couldn't ask for me to be involved with a nicer boyfriend. It is just everything else that is around him that is bad. But Harry, without all that …. crap, he is serious boyfriend material, Mum."

"OK. We will discuss that together, with your Dad. So, let's go."

An hour later, with all the promises made about both parents meeting Harry somehow, keeping her parents 'in the loop', not galavanting off into trouble with Harry or anyone else and obeying McGonnagles rules, Hermione went to bed a happy witch. She could see Harry tomorrow.


	25. Chapter 25:Tonks,Tina,Bones,Shacklebolt

A.I. Dora Tonks walked into main office of the Auror Department, over 35 minutes late for her shift, or so it appeared. There was the usual hum of background noise; Aurors talking in low tones, the scratching of quills on parchment, the squeak of a chair turning or the scrape of a chair's legs being moved across the floor. The smell of various concoctions being brewed or analysed came from the potions lab off to the right, flying notes flew across the room or, in some cases, out the door on route to another office or department. All normal, or so it appeared with the vast majority of the staff and their investigations. However, one Auror was not paying the same amount of attention to the parchment work on his desk. In fact, he was paying no attention to his desk at all and he had only been back there ten minutes. Austin Pagmore, like many in the Ministry, had heard the rumours of 'an incident' at a muggle house in a small town in Surrey and somehow, Harry Potter was involved. He had noticed the comings and goings of Dora Tonks, her lack of interaction with everyone except the Auror office's highest ranker, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and that other stupid witch, 'Tina Johnson who was just as tight lipped as bloody Tonks!

'The Undersecretary could be right. Something is going on with those two youngsters and Shacklebolt. Thick as thieves, the three of them', Pagmore thought to himself.

Even the distant sight of Shacklebolt was enough to raise the hackles on Pagmore's temper, but so see the two most junior Investigators in the department seeming to be in the Auror Captain's confidence made him seethe with anger. He was being sidelined…again! He was now the senior Auror in service in the whole investigating department, 27 years, more than even Shacklebolt, but time and again he had been overlooked to lead major enquiries, overlooked to even be a squad chief, having been stuck now with no more than a team leader role for fifteen years. In charge of only three past-their-prime and going to seed AI's on the minor enquiries team that came into the department; the Friday and Saturday night pub assaults, the Sunday domestics, the minor use of magic in the presence of muggles, the selling of false charmed amulets, bracelets and necklaces that actually did no harm to anyone except lose them of a few gallions because the buyers were stupid enough and drunk enough to believe they were wondrous, magical artefacts.' Hell, the minor charms placed on them wore off after about 24hrs to make them nothing more than a few bits of pressed metal held together with a sticking charm!' What had he done to Bones and Shacklebolt to deserve their distrust and disdain?

Well he knew! His complete lack of being discreet in who he spoke with and who he told about ongoing cases, laziness in clearing up cases that didn't go as he had planned, his misjudgement of the value of evidence in major cases and his inability to stay off the firewhiskey during his off-duty hours were only a few of the many blemishes on his Auror record that prevented him being trusted with anything more major than a middling assault case. The other matters of being surly to colleagues, downright rude in some cases, when he was hungover; his innate ability to be seen fawning after senior officials from other departments, offering to assist them out if investigations turned 'awkward' against them or their families, the very obvious favouring of 'pureblood' families to the extent of overlooking clear evidence that would implicate them or their 'connections' in prosecutions. Nothing that could be precisely proven against him, but plenty of indirect rumour and circumstantial evidence that gave rise to the mistrust of him by his senior managers. He could not be trusted. So, he watched jealously as Tonks walked direct to Shacklebolt's office.

Tonks had given a quick glance at Pagmore's desk, to confirm he was there, then quickly looked away so as not to catch his attention. She knocked on her Captain's door. Shacklebolt, standing at his private filing cabinet, looked around and seeing her, waved her in. She shut the door behind her. "Morning Boss. Got five minutes? Something I need to run by you, just to make sure I have the nod from you to go undercover, in my morph form."  
Shackles gave her a wave of the hand and a nod, saying, "Madame Bones gave you the ok already, you know that, so why come to me now?" "Yeah, I know boss, but …. Well, this one just might be a bit delicate, so I thought I would make sure to clear it with you first. It involves a high up Ministry official in another department, not DMLE."  
Shacklebolt turned away from his cabinet to his desk, indicating Tonks to sit down.  
"Hmmm. How high up are you talking about, Tonks?"  
"Minister's personal office, Undersecretary level."  
The Auror Captain's eyes opened wide and an expletive was said. "Bollocks! The Pink Toad?" "Yup. Got it in one, boss. Umbridge. She's concerning herself with the Little Winging enquiry in some way but don't know how much yet. That's why I need the ok for the undercover stuff. I need to get into her office to search through her files, her desk and such, so, to keep it legal, I will need a search warrant from Madame Bones. Can she get one without going through Minister Fudge?"  
"Hmmm. Where did your information about our illustrious Undersecretary come from? If it's just rumour, then no chance. Something a bit more substantial is going to be needed. So, what you got?"  
"From 'Tina first, boss, and then me. In fact, Tina is back following up that lead now. Gave me the information in a hurry on the back stairs about an hour ago so as not to be overheard. And, well ….. my info comes from Umbridge herself and hits a bit closer to home …. Pagmore."  
"Pagmore! What the fuck is that liability doing interfering on this enquiry? … In fact, how does he even know about it?"  
"Well, boss, that's the thing, I'm not sure he does, apart from the rumours that are being whispered about, but he has been told to find out what he can and report back direct to Umbridge. Let me explain. 'Tina was coming into work this morning to make an early start on setting up the initial lines of enquiry. She was in the lift just ready for the doors closing when Umbridge entered with one of her lackies. Neither of them know 'Tina by sight, and looking as young as she does, 'Tina gets taken for a newbie apprentice straight out of Hogwarts and gets pretty much ignored as a result. Anyway, Tina overheard Umbridge ask her member of staff to 'alert a contact' in the Auror office that she needed to have a word with him about a 'delicate new enquiry' that has reached her ears and that he should meet her away from the Minister's department down in the small courtroom in the upper basement. That was all 'Tina had. 'Tina knew that she couldn't do a follow on her own as whoever it was from our office knows her from the Malfoy cock-up, so she got hold of me as I came into the atrium, gave me the info, so I did a quick shufti down into the basement to see if anything happened. I morphed into a cleaner that works down there and just waited tucked away at the back. Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, Pagmore appears then a couple later, Umbridge, from the Minister of Magic's private lift, no less. ….. Boss, if you remember, we got a report about magic being used in Little Winging a bit before the house exploded? We got it from that Ministry bloke, Spiker, that took us to the scene?"… Shacklebolt nodded ….. "Right. Well, I overheard Umbridge say 'Auror Pagmore, you will find out how much they know about the dementor's in Little Winging, understand me? Under no circumstances can it be connected back to the Minister's office.' Well, I don't know about you boss, but this is the first I have heard about dementors anywhere except Azkhaban and Hogwarts last year! This is news! But, could this be somethin' to do with the earlier report of the magic being used?"

Shacklebolt's eyebrows raised and he appeared a bit wide eyed at the news. "Yes, that indeed is news! First I have heard of it as well. OK, leave this with me. I'll have a word with Madame Bones, see what she thinks. Chances are I will need an information report from you and formal warrant request, probably 'Tina as well. And a good bit of work from the pair of you about Pagmore. I think you have found out who our department 'leak' is! I have never trusted that bastard in all the twenty-five years I have known him. He has licked enough bigoted pureblood arses to have a brown tongue, that one. Luckily, we have had Amelia Bones always senior to him. She saw what he was like and always managed to block his promotions. OK!… Don't do anything about this as yet, just get on with finding out what you can about any rogue dementors running amok in muggle country. Go a bit wider afield around Little Winging, cast some detection spells for dark magic use. Not always easy to detect the presence of dementors, but, if a magical was powerful and knowledgeable enough, then a Patronus charm may have been cast. Now that is detectable, and big time too. That leaves a way big magical residue. There has been no reports of any victims of their kiss being found so if dementors have been about, where are the victims? Go see what you can find out. I'll go see the big boss lady. See you later."

\- - HJP HJG -

"Dementors! When was this supposed to have happened?" asked the DMLE head.  
"No idea Ami, but definitely sometime around the Little Winging incident. I can only think it was before because the place has been jumping with the muggle services since then. Your contact got anything on this?"  
Amelia Bones frowned. "Hmm! Maybe. Something was mentioned but I didn't take it as dementors. I will have to confirm that, but as this information has actually come from Umbridge and implicates her office, this is a biggie! And that fuck, Pagmore! We have got to reel him in, Shackles. This is our chance! Any ideas?" "We could set him up, Ami; somehow or other get him to feed information to the Toad that only we know about. Let slip a couple of things here and there that he can overhear, info that he may think is vital to our enquiry and has to be kept from the Ministers office. Pagmore is sure to think he has something worth passing on and let Umbridge know about it. We could catch him out." Bones nodded. "Good idea, Shackles. That is probably the route to go but we need to keep this very much between us. No one must know, even Tonks and 'Tina. I don't like doing this, but we maybe will have to let the girls believe that some information is genuine and they can set Pagmore up without realising it. In the same way, that could implicate The Toad and maybe someone even higher up, depending on what he knows!"  
"You think Fudge is involved in something?"  
"Huh! That bloody idiot is always 'involved' in something but most of it is nonsense. However, you never know, we just may pull some serious corruption out of the bag. 'Minister's Office hiding evidence, Dementors in muggle land involved': Fudge implicated in cover-up!' I can see the headlines now. But Fudge is and idiot! Umbridge is not! She is not much of a witch, but she is devious and clever and a true Slytherin even up to the point of believing in the 'pureblood' garbage that house spouts. And, she has the Minister's ear and that prick believes every word she tells him. That is also what I am hoping with Pagmore. He is so wanting to get one over on me and you, he will drop himself up to his neck in dragon shite if we can get him to pass on the information that we have planted. This will need some thinking about. Leave that with with me."

And so the planning to catch a corrupt Auror and a nasty, twisted, conniving Ministry official began.


End file.
